New Orleans residents Tai Shen Kuo and Yu Xin Kang, and Gregg William Bergersen of Alexandria, Virginia, were arrested for passing US defense secrets to China in one case, according to a Justice Department statement.

In a second case, former Boeing engineer Dongfan "Greg" Chung was arrested on charges involving stealing and turning over to China Boeing trade secrets, including information involving the space shuttle, the department said in a separate statement.

Kuo, 58, is accused of having worked under the direction of an unnamed Chinese official to obtain classified US defense information from Bergersen, 51, a Department of Defense employee," the Justice Department said.

"Much of the information pertained to US military sales to Taiwan," it said.

Kang, 33, a Chinese citizen resident in the United States, meanwhile was named as a "conduit of information" between Kuo and the Chinese official.

Chung, 72, a China native and naturalized US citizen, was charged with economic espionage for taking secrets involving the shuttle, the C-17 military transport and the Delta IV rocket.

"Chung allegedly obtained the materials for the benefit of the PRC (People's Republic of China)," the department said.

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