Huawei criminal trial is under way in Brooklyn: it could last 3 months

Huawei’s criminal trial opened today in federal court in Brooklyn, kicking off what’s expected to be a three-month courtroom fight over allegations the US has been pressing since 2018. Prosecutors say Huawei ran a long-term criminal operation built on trade-secret theft, fraud, and sanctions violations. Huawei’s answer is blunt: the government is taking ordinary business conduct and treating it like crime, while going after a rival under the guise of conspiracy.

HiSuite Download

The government wants jurors to look at the case as a two-decade pattern, not a handful of separate incidents. A 12-count indictment charges Huawei with racketeering conspiracy, trade-secret theft, wire fraud, bank fraud, and IEEPA sanctions violations. Prosecutors say the company took technology from five US businesses, among them Cisco router code and T-Mobile’s phone-testing robotic arm. They’re also expected to show video evidence.

Prosecutors further argue that Huawei used Skycom to do business in Iran and misled banks, allowing millions of dollars to pass through the US financial system. After a judge’s ruling, they may also use Meng Wanzhou’s 2021 admissions about false statements as evidence.

For people who follow the US-China tech fight closely, this trial has a lot riding on it. Huawei says prosecutors are turning normal business behavior into criminal conduct, that the company grew because it spent on R&D, not because it stole, and that the real issue here is competition, not conspiracy.

The Brooklyn proceedings are unfolding against a much bigger backdrop: US restrictions on Huawei equipment, export controls, Chinese officials accusing Washington of political suppression, and the possibility of spillover into the smartphone and 5G markets. The outcome could also shape future trade-secret and sanctions cases across Western markets.