Rotterdam, July 10, 2025
The Rotterdam District Court sentenced a 43-year-old man to three years in prison. He shared technological knowledge from Dutch high-tech companies with a person in Russia. This violated EU sanctions imposed in 2014. The suspect also pleaded guilty to computer hacking.
The suspect, a long-standing employee in the high-tech industry, shared technological knowledge with a person in Russia over a period of eighteen months. The suspect obtained the information he shared by copying it from the servers of his employers, ASML and NXP, companies in the semiconductor industry.
As an employee, the suspect regularly accessed his employer's network for over four years to retrieve files he didn't need for his work. He also retained files after his employment ended. The
suspect himself stated about this during the hearing: " I had saved ASML files for my own use. (...) Whether those files were allowed to go to Russia? I didn't ask. Yes, I provided advice."
The suspect provided technical assistance by sharing files containing information for setting up production lines for microchip manufacturing with a person in Russia and for use there.
The suspect also committed computer hacking: he intentionally, without permission, and for a purpose other than his work, gained access to ASML and NXP systems.
Based on the case file, the court cannot determine exactly when the suspect logged in to copy files from his work databases and assumes this occurred during the period he worked at ASML and NXP.
The large number of ASML and NXP files found on various data carriers at his home demonstrates that he did so. It has not been established that the suspect needed these files for his work and does not explain why he continued to possess them after his employment ended.
An internationally agreed-upon sanctions package has been in place against Russia since 2014 following the invasion of Crimea. These sanctions were further expanded after the start of the war with Ukraine. Providing advice to and sharing technology with Russia is extremely serious. It can contribute to strengthening that country's military or strategic capabilities, which has consequences for Ukraine and may indirectly impact international security and stability.
It has not been proven that the suspect sold the files, or at least received money for them. The money the suspect deposited into his bank account has not been established to be related to the files he shared.
The Rotterdam District Court sentenced the defendant to three years in prison. The public prosecutor previously requested a four-year prison sentence. The sentence is lower than that demand because the court did not find it proven that the defendant received money for passing on the company information.
In general, employers must be able to assume that employees will handle confidential information with integrity. This applies to companies in high-risk sectors like ASML and NXP, and especially to these companies that are at the forefront of technological development. The defendant's actions seriously betrayed this trust. He is therefore held accountable for this.
The Rotterdam District Court sentenced a 43-year-old man to three years in prison. He shared technological knowledge from Dutch high-tech companies with a person in Russia. This violated EU sanctions imposed in 2014. The suspect also pleaded guilty to computer hacking.
Knowledge shared
The suspect, a long-standing employee in the high-tech industry, shared technological knowledge with a person in Russia over a period of eighteen months. The suspect obtained the information he shared by copying it from the servers of his employers, ASML and NXP, companies in the semiconductor industry.
As an employee, the suspect regularly accessed his employer's network for over four years to retrieve files he didn't need for his work. He also retained files after his employment ended. The
suspect himself stated about this during the hearing: " I had saved ASML files for my own use. (...) Whether those files were allowed to go to Russia? I didn't ask. Yes, I provided advice."
The suspect provided technical assistance by sharing files containing information for setting up production lines for microchip manufacturing with a person in Russia and for use there.
Computer hacking
The suspect also committed computer hacking: he intentionally, without permission, and for a purpose other than his work, gained access to ASML and NXP systems.
Based on the case file, the court cannot determine exactly when the suspect logged in to copy files from his work databases and assumes this occurred during the period he worked at ASML and NXP.
The large number of ASML and NXP files found on various data carriers at his home demonstrates that he did so. It has not been established that the suspect needed these files for his work and does not explain why he continued to possess them after his employment ended.
Sanctions
An internationally agreed-upon sanctions package has been in place against Russia since 2014 following the invasion of Crimea. These sanctions were further expanded after the start of the war with Ukraine. Providing advice to and sharing technology with Russia is extremely serious. It can contribute to strengthening that country's military or strategic capabilities, which has consequences for Ukraine and may indirectly impact international security and stability.
It has not been proven that the suspect sold the files, or at least received money for them. The money the suspect deposited into his bank account has not been established to be related to the files he shared.
Prison sentence
The nature and seriousness of the offenses warrant a lengthy prison sentence. The fact that the files contain outdated information is irrelevant, as this information can be of great value to a country with a (much) lower level of knowledge. It must be prevented that a country at war can profit in any way from advanced technological knowledge. For this reason, a comprehensive package of sanctions has been agreed upon against Russia, among others.The Rotterdam District Court sentenced the defendant to three years in prison. The public prosecutor previously requested a four-year prison sentence. The sentence is lower than that demand because the court did not find it proven that the defendant received money for passing on the company information.
In general, employers must be able to assume that employees will handle confidential information with integrity. This applies to companies in high-risk sectors like ASML and NXP, and especially to these companies that are at the forefront of technological development. The defendant's actions seriously betrayed this trust. He is therefore held accountable for this.