KNOXVILLE, TN. (DOJ) - A federal jury Wednesday convicted retired University of Tennessee professor Dr. J. Reece Roth, of allegedly exporting advanced drone technology to China, the Department of Justice announced.
The technical data and information were developed during a U.S. Air Force research contract on advanced drones, the government said.
Dr. Roth was convicted of one count of conspiring with Atmospheric Glow Technology, Inc., a Knoxville, Tennessee, technology company, to unlawfully export in 2005 and 2006 fifteen different “defense articles” to a citizen of the People’s Republic of China in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.
He was also convicted of 15 counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act and one count of wire fraud relating to defrauding the University of Tennessee by illegally exporting sensitive military information relating to this U.S. Air Force contract.
The Arms Export Control Act prohibits the export of defense-related materials, including technical data, to a foreign national or a foreign nation, without the required U.S. government license.
Roth faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy conviction. The retired university professor could also receive 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is set for Jan. 7, 2009.
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