In February 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Chinese telecommunications company Huawei with stealing trade secrets, and violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The new indictment represents an escalation of the cases initiated in January 2019. According to the 16 count indictment, Huawei and its subsidiaries breached confidentiality agreements with six U.S. tech companies and gained access to their intellectual property. Investigators also claim that Huawei developed a bonus program through which the employees were encouraged to obtain confidential information from competitors. Under PRC law, Huawei is obligated to participate in national intelligence work, has been credibly accused of cooperation with PRC intelligence agencies, and is owned ultimately by a trade union entity likely controlled by the CCP.