Citing 'potential bias,' prosecutors drop case against CEO accused of storing election info in China

Prosecutors in California dropped charges this week against an election software CEO who was accused of improperly sending election-related information to China, with officials citing potential "bias" in the presentation of the case. 

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said concerns about both the “pace of the investigation” and “potential bias in the presentation” of the charges led them to drop their case against Eugene Yu, the CEO of election software company Konnech. 

Information related to that decision was not immediately available on the L.A. County District Attorney's office on Thursday morning, but the New York Times reported that the county "had assembled a new team to 'determine whether any criminal activity occurred'."

Prosecutors last month alleged that Yu had granted Chinese contractors "superadministration status" to Konnech poll worker data. Yu had been charged with embezzlement related to the alleged practices. 

Konnech distributes its PollChief software to what it claims are "thousands of Election Offices across North America." The company says it employs "multiple security layers" to "protect the system from intrusion."

The executive was facing up to a decade in prison on the now-dropped charges.