Hytera pleads guilty to felony for conspiring to steal information from Motorola

Hytera Communications Corporation has entered a felony guilty plea and executed a Plea Agreement to address the U.S. Department of Justice’s criminal prosecution of Hytera for misappropriation and theft of confidential trade secrets and proprietary information belonging to Motorola Solutions (MSI). In pleading guilty to felony conspiracy charges, Hytera admitted that it knowingly agreed to take, without authorization, Motorola Solutions documents and source code related to DMR technology, and that it used that information to develop Hytera DMR products. “Hytera’s admission of guilt in federal court validates the extensive evidence that it is a bad actor and felon, and we remain firmly resolute to holding Hytera accountable for its egregious illegal conduct,” said Greg Brown, chairman and CEO, Motorola Solutions. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice filed felony charges against Hytera and seven of its employees, including former executive Gee Siong Kok. The federal grand jury indictment included 21 counts of federal criminal trade secret violations, including engaging in a decade-long criminal conspiracy to steal and use Motorola Solutions’ trade secrets and proprietary information. Kok pled guilty in 2023 and is awaiting sentencing; the other six Hytera employees are currently at large. Under the terms of the Plea Agreement, Hytera is expected to be sentenced in November 2025, at which time the U.S. District Court is expected to order Hytera to pay restitution to Motorola Solutions and a criminal fine to the U.S. Government. Hytera’s guilty plea does not resolve Motorola Solutions’ ongoing civil litigation against Hytera. Motorola Solutions is continuing to pursue collection of the more than $471M judgment already awarded to it in its trade secret and copyright infringement litigation against Hytera in the United States, as well as injunctive and other relief to address Hytera’s misconduct.