Huawei goes to trial in New York on criminal charges after eight years

Sep 8, 2026

The criminal trial of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co. began in Brooklyn, New York, on September 8, 2026, after eight years of legal disputes. Huawei has pleaded not guilty to 14 counts, including bank fraud, racketeering, and trade secret theft. The trial, presided over by US District Judge Ann M. Donnelly, is expected to last three months and overlaps with a scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24, 2026.

Huawei criminal trial Brooklyn

▪Huawei Technologies Co. has pleaded not guilty to all 14 criminal counts, which include bank fraud, wire fraud, trade secret theft, and racketeering.
▪Huawei Technologies Co. went on trial in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, with jury selection beginning on September 8, 2026.
▪US District Judge Ann M. Donnelly of the Eastern District of New York is presiding over the Huawei Technologies Co. trial, which is expected to last about three months.
▪US District Judge Ann M. Donnelly instructed potential jurors in Brooklyn on September 8, 2026, that China, the Chinese Communist Party, and the US-Iran conflict are not on trial.

Iran sanctions bank fraud

▪US prosecutors accused Huawei Technologies Co. of defrauding HSBC and other global financial institutions by misleading them about the company's business dealings in Iran.
▪US prosecutors accused Huawei Technologies Co. of lying about its business dealings in North Korea and supplying surveillance equipment to Iran to track protesters during 2009 anti-government demonstrations.
▪The US indictment alleges Huawei Technologies Co. used Skycom, a firm operating in Iran, to obtain embargoed US goods and services and move money through the international banking system.
▪The criminal case against Huawei Technologies Co. is based in part on 2012 and 2013 Reuters reports detailing ties between Huawei and Skycom.

Trade secret theft allegations

▪If Huawei Technologies Co. is convicted, US prosecutors will seek the forfeiture of property or proceeds, and the company could face financial penalties ranging from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars.
▪Huawei Technologies Co. has described the trade secret theft accusations as a repackaging of long-resolved commercial disputes.
▪US prosecutors accused Huawei Technologies Co. of conspiring to steal trade secrets from five US technology companies.

Meng Wanzhou arrest Vancouver

▪Meng Wanzhou admitted to making false statements regarding Huawei Technologies Co.'s control of Skycom to an HSBC executive as part of an agreement with US prosecutors to drop charges against her.
▪The legal case against Huawei Technologies Co. began in 2018 with the arrest of Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, Canada.

US-China tech competition

▪Beijing has criticized the US prosecution of Huawei Technologies Co., characterizing it as part of a broader campaign to undermine China's technological rise.
▪The US government placed Huawei Technologies Co. on a trade blacklist in 2019, citing national security threats and alleged criminal conduct.

Trump-Xi meeting timing

▪The trial of Huawei Technologies Co. in Brooklyn overlaps with a scheduled meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Washington on September 24, 2026.
▪A Huawei Technologies Co. spokesperson stated on September 5, 2026, that the US government's overarching narrative in the criminal case is demonstrably false.