Judge overturns Ding economic espionage conviction

On August 20, 2026, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria partially overturned the conviction of former Alphabet Inc. software engineer Linwei Ding. Ding had been found guilty in January 2026 of seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets for stealing AI-related trade secrets from Alphabet Inc.. Judge Chhabria ruled that there was insufficient evidence that Ding intended or knew his conduct would benefit the Chinese government, a required element for the economic espionage charges, and acquitted him on those seven counts. The theft of trade secrets convictions remain intact. Ding is scheduled for sentencing on September 1, 2026, and faces up to 10 years in prison and fines for each trade secret count. The ruling was based on the timing of Ding's actions and the lack of evidence linking his intent to benefit China at the time of the thefts. Ding's attorneys from Goodwin Procter celebrated the decision, while the Department of Justice has not commented. Alphabet Inc., which cooperated with law enforcement, was not charged.