By Blake Brittain

Jan 14 (Reuters) - 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.

According to a court filing, Hytera will be fined a maximum of $60 million under the plea agreement and must separately pay Motorola Solutions restitution for the theft.

Hytera's sentencing is scheduled for November.

The deal follows a $764 million verdict for Motorola Solutions in a related civil case against Hytera in 2020, which a U.S. appeals court later lowered to $407 million.

Spokespeople for Hytera did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agreement.

"Hytera's admission of guilt in federal court validates the extensive evidence that it is a bad actor and felon, and we remain firmly resolute to holding Hytera accountable for its egregious illegal conduct," Motorola Solutions CEO Greg Brown said in a statement.

Chicago-based Motorola Solutions sued Hytera in 2017 for misappropriating trade secrets and infringing copyrights related to its two-way radios. The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Hytera and seven of its employees in 2022 on related charges of stealing proprietary information about the radios.

The indictment said Hytera recruited Motorola employees in Malaysia from 2007 through 2020 to steal the trade secrets. Hytera denied the allegations following the indictment.

The case is United States v. Hytera Communications Corp, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No. 1:20-cr-00688.

For Hytera: Boyd Cloern, Rachel Cannon and Christopher Niewoehner of Steptoe LLP

Read more:

Motorola wins $764.6 mln in damages against Hytera Communications

U.S. charges China's Hytera with conspiring with ex-Motorola staff to steal technology

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)

((blake.brittain@tr.com; +1 (202) 938-5713))