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Jury Convicts Pair of Stealing GM Trade Secrets
A former General Motors Co. electrical engineer and her husband have been found guilty by a federal court jury in Detroit of stealing the company's hybrid and electric vehicle technology and trying to sell it to a Chinese carmaker.
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A former General Motors Co. electrical engineer and her husband have been found guilty by a federal court jury in Detroit of stealing the company's hybrid and electric vehicle technology and trying to sell it to a Chinese carmaker.
Shanshan Du, who worked in GM's advanced technology group, was convicted of conspiracy to possess trade secrets and two counts of unauthorized possession of such secrets.
Her husband Yu Qin was found guilty on the same counts, plus three counts of wire fraud and another for obstruction of justice.
Du copied thousands of GM documents to an external hard drive before taking a buyout in March 2005, according to prosecutors. They say the couple contacted China's Chery Automobile Co. by email that summer to suggest forming a hybrid-vehicle joint venture.
Prosecutors say the stolen technology was worth at least $40 million, based on licensing fees other carmakers had paid GM for it.
The jury deliberated for less than a day after nearly four weeks of testimony.
The fines and prison terms could add up to as much as 30 years and $750,000 for Du and 110 years and $1.75 million for Yu. A sentencing hearing is set for February.
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