# U.S. Sanctions MiraclePlus Over Funding Ties to Google Trade Secret Case

By Riza Dagoc

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/regulation/35576
Published: 2026-10-20T11:09:02.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-20T11:09:02.000Z
Section: Regulation

> The action covers five Chinese entities, including three related to MiraclePlus and a Shanghai AI startup founded by a former Google engineer.

The U.S. sanctioned Chinese venture firm MiraclePlus, three related entities and a Shanghai AI startup on Oct. 19, targeting investment links connected to a Google trade secret theft case.

MiraclePlus provided seed funding to the startup and took an ownership stake. The startup’s founder, a former Google engineer, pitched the project at a MiraclePlus startup camp. The sanctions concern that funding relationship; they do not establish that MiraclePlus participated in stealing Google’s trade secrets.

The Justice Department accused the engineer of uploading more than 2,000 pages of internal Google material involving chips and systems used in AI computing while he worked there. A federal jury convicted him on seven trade secret theft counts in January 2026. In August, a judge dismissed seven economic espionage counts after finding insufficient evidence that he intended to benefit the Chinese government.

The measures freeze property covered by U.S. jurisdiction and restrict banking and foreign-exchange transactions. They also bar U.S. persons from investing in the sanctioned entities’ debt or equity.

A Treasury authorization allows MiraclePlus and its three related entities to wind down transactions through Jan. 19, 2027.