Officials investigate Wilmington companies for exporting blueprints to China

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The U.S. Department of Commerce is investigating three Wilmington-based companies for illegal exports of technology blueprints to China.

The companies were issued a Temporary Denial Order, suspending their export privileges for 180 days. Quicksilver Manufacturing Inc., Rapid Cut LLC, and U.S. Prototype Inc. are accused of illegally exporting blueprints and technical drawings of rocket, satellite and defense-related prototypes. The drawings are export-controlled due to their importance to national security.

The TDO outlines how the three companies would receive drawings from their customers, send the drawings to Chinese manufacturers to be created and then import them back to their customers in the United States. All of this would be done without any notice to their customers.

The TDO prevents the three companies from receiving, sending or participating in exports to or from the U.S. for a renewable 180-day period. The announcement was made in a U.S. Department of Commerce release on June 8.