Chinese telecommunications company Hytera Communications has pleaded guilty in Illinois federal court to stealing Motorola Solutions trade secrets covering digital mobile radio technology, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago said on Tuesday.

The telecommunications company could face a fine of up to $60 million for stealing walkie talkie-related trade secrets.

Hytera Communications Corp. admitted to recruiting and hiring former Motorola Solutions employees and directing them to steal digital mobile radio technology.

Hytera could pay a fine of up to $60 million at sentencing in November. The Shenzhen, China-based company was previously ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in a lawsuit Motorola Solutions filed for stealing trade secrets.

Hytera Communications Corporation Limited has entered a felony guilty plea and executed a plea agreement to address the U.S. Department of Justice’s criminal prosecution of Hytera for misappropriation and theft of confidential trade secrets and proprietary information belonging to Motorola Solutions.

Chinese company guilty of trade secret theft A Chinese telecommunications company pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to conspiring to steal technology from Illinois-based Motorola Solutions. According to a news release from the U.