A California technology company owner has been arrested after US federal prosecutors accused him of helping smuggle more than $300 million worth of export-controlled computer servers containing US-made graphics processing units (GPUs) to China.
Greg Lui, 38, also known as Yiu Kong Lui, was arrested on October 1 and charged in a three-count federal indictment, according to the US Department of Justice . Earthmade was used between 2023 and 2024 to purchase and ship export-controlled technology , according to the indictment. In one example cited by the DOJ, Lui submitted a purchase order in January 2024 for 27 servers worth about $7.614 million. A later email to a Malaysian government official allegedly confirmed that the 27 servers had been transshipped to a buyer in China. From January through October 2024, Earthmade allegedly received more than $176 million from two Malaysia-based shipment companies, according to the indictment. If convicted on all charges, he faces statutory maximum sentences of 20 years on the conspiracy count, 20 years on the money-laundering count and 10 years on the smuggling count, according to the DOJ.
Lui is the owner of Earthmade Computer Inc., a technology company based in the City of Industry, California. The case centers on allegations that Lui and his co-conspirators used third countries, false documents and freight-forwarding arrangements to get restricted technology to China without the required US export licenses. Lui is a San Gabriel resident and the owner of Earthmade Computer Inc., which prosecutors describe as a closely held technology company. The servers were shipped from Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur. Lui faces three federal counts involving export-control violations, smuggling and money laundering.
Lui and his co-conspirators allegedly sent restricted servers to countries including Malaysia and Singapore, where the required US export license was not needed, before arranging for them to be re-exported to China, according to the indictment.
