Mo Hailong plead guilty Jan. 27 in federal court in Iowa on charges of conspiracy to steal U.S. corn seeds from DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto.

See what a variety of news organizations are reporting on the issue:

Reuters: Chinese man pleads guilty for plot to steal U.S. corn secrets

Federal authorities began investigating Mo Hailong, 46, for conspiring to steal corn seeds from DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto after DuPont security staff noticed his suspicious activity.

AP: A conspiracy to steal secrets of U.S. corn

Mo Hailong is accused of traveling to the Midwest to take corn seed out of Iowa fields and ship it to China so scientists there could attempt to reproduce its genetic traits.

Man pleads guilty on charges of conspiracy to steal corn seed. (Photo: Fuse/Thinkstock)

Time: Corn spy admits trying to steal secrets of the U.S. kernel

He will be sentenced in Des Moines.

ABC News: Man charged with seed corn theft conspiracy pleads guilty

He will serve no more than five years in prison.