Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RALEIGH, N.C. – David C. Bohmerwald, the owner of a Raleigh-based electronics resale business called Components Cooper, Inc., pled guilty to attempting to export accelerometer technology with military applications to China without a license, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act (“ECRA”), and faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced. The case is the result of the district’s Disruptive Technology Strike Force (DTSF) cell.
“North Carolina is home to cutting-edge technologies that fuel our economy, improve our lives, and are vital to national security. But our status as a major tech hub also makes us a target, as America’s foreign adversaries seek to acquire sensitive tech to advance their military might and interests around the world,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar, “We’ve launched a multi-agency Disruptive Technology Strike Force cell to shut down international schemes that smuggle sensitive technology and IP to America’s adversaries. This case is just one example, exposing a scheme to evade U.S. export laws by shipping nearly $20,000 worth of accelerometers with missile applications from North Carolina to the People’s Republic of China.”
“Consistent application and administration of our export controls is crucial for national security and economic stability,” said Jeffrey Levine, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Office of Export Enforcement Special Agent in Charge. “The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is another example of how those agencies with enforcement responsibilities work together to help prevent the proliferation of sensitive technologies and materials that could be used for military or terrorist purposes, ensuring that critical goods do not fall into the wrong hands.”
“The disruption of this scheme to illegally export sensitive technology means that accelerometers and other items will not be used by unauthorized individuals or for adversarial purposes,” said Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant, who supervises Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “HSI is a proud member of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force and cases like this demonstrate HSI’s commitment to keeping military-grade equipment out of the hands of our adversaries. HSI will aggressively investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable criminals that supply sensitive technology to unauthorized users.”
According to court documents, and information presented in court, Bohmerwald, age 63, purchased 100 accelerometers from a U.S.-based electronics company, and then attempted to export the devices to a company in China. These accelerometers have a wide array of applications ranging from research and development of products to defense uses. When used for military applications, accelerometers are crucial to structural testing, monitoring, flight control, and navigation systems. The technology can help missiles fly more accurately and measure the precise effect munitions have on structures. A license is required to export the accelerometers to China.
The U.S. based electronics company notified law enforcement due to Bohmerwald’s suspicious and unusual purchase request. Among other things, when Bohmerwald purchased the accelerometers, he claimed that they were for an end user in Missouri. In fact, when federal agents contacted the Missouri company, they denied having an order pending with Bohmerwald and his business, Components Cooper.
After Bohmerwald received the accelerometers, he dropped two parcels at a local FedEx shipping store. One of the packages was addressed to a business in China. An agent with the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, detained the package and found it contained 100 accelerometers. The agent confirmed that there were no relevant licenses on file to support the export of the items. In addition, Bohmerwald falsely listed the value of the package at $100, when the true value was nearly $20,000. When interviewed by agents, Bohmerwald admitted to acquiring the technology on behalf of a Chinese-based company, knowing that the technology was export-controlled, and knowing export of the items required a license.
This case was coordinated through the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states. The Strike Force leverages tools and authorities across the U.S. government to enhance the criminal and administrative enforcement of export control laws.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina and Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the plea. BIS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Logan Liles and Trial Attorney Brendan Geary of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-00302-BO.