IT trade secrets stolen for China
Hanjuan Jin, a China-born US citizen, was stopped at Chicago international airport in February 2007 as she tried to board a flight to China, allegedly carrying more than 1,000 documents, many of them confidential, they said.
Customs officials seized the documents, which were in both electronic and paper format and which the Chicago firm said contained information representing hundreds of millions dollars of research of development.
Following a criminal complaint, Jin was arrested on March 7.
She has now been charged with three counts of theft of trade secrets, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a 250,000-dollar fine, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
"We have to be vigilant in preserving the integrity of trade secrets to provide an honest playing field among business competitors, whether foreign or domestic," said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, US attorney for the northern district of Illinois.
"Trade secrets often are a business's most valuable assets, and protecting them from theft and betrayal is a high priority for law enforcement."
According to the indictment, Jin had worked for the unnamed telecoms company since 1998. She took a medical leave of absence in February 2006 during which she negotiated a new job with a software firm in China.
She returned to work in Chicago on February 26, 2007, where she allegedly downloaded trade secrets from the computer system and took other documents.
Jin handed in her notice the following day and on February 28, tried to board a flight to China using a one-way ticket, when she was stopped, the Department of Justice said.
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