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Federal prosecutors begin racketeering conspiracy trial against Huawei Technologies to determine if the company operated as a criminal enterprise.

Federal prosecutors began a racketeering conspiracy trial for Huawei Technologies in New York on Wednesday. The Justice Department accused the Chinese tech company of committing multiple crimes over two decades, including stealing technology from American companies and abusing the U.S. financial system.

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Taylor Stout, a Justice Department attorney, argued that a "culture of crime" existed at the company under the leadership of founder Ren Zhengfei and his daughter Meng Wanzhou. Defense attorney Brian Heberlig countered these claims, stating that Huawei's success was built on engineering, investment, and innovation rather than theft. Heberlig noted that the company punished employees who broke policies and argued that the 2021 admission by Meng Wanzhou regarding Iran sanctions was not a confession of deliberate deception. Heberlig also stated that the government's case relied on a few anecdotes and the actions of some employees rather than a companywide conspiracy. During President Trump's first term, the administration raised national security concerns regarding Huawei and began lobbying Western allies against using its products. Chinese officials have characterized the U.S. actions as "economic bullying."

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