L-3 Communications said it had "supported this investigation from the beginning and will continue to cooperate fully with federal authorities," but declined to comment further on the matter.

Liu stopped working for the company the day after he was pulled aside at Liberty airport, according to court records.

He couldn't immediately be reached for comment. He was charged on Friday in United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, but the complaint was not unsealed until Tuesday, the date Liu was set to appear in federal court in Chicago.

The IDG News Service