A Chinese scientist hasbeen sentenced to two years in prison for stealing technology to create batteries from his American employer.
Former scientist Hongjin Tan has also been ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution and will spend three years under supervision, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Thursday
The 36-year-old from China worked for an unnamed American oil company. Tan, along with other researchers, was working on developing next-generation technologies for flow batteries and energy.
According to the investigation, on December 11, 2018, Tan submitted his resignation and left the company after downloading hundreds of files related to his work to a device .
On December 12, Tan returned the device, claiming he had simply forgotten to leave it behind when he left. However, an examination of the flash drive revealed evidence of documents that had been stored and then deleted.
The employer then turned to the FBI for further investigation.
A warrant was issued and the scientist's home was searched. Investigators discovered an external hard drive containing the secrets to making the batteries.
Tan was arrested in November 2019 and admitted to intentionally copying and downloading the research, without his employer's permission.
US prosecutors appear to believe the trade secrets were destined for China.
Attorney John Demers said the case was “yet another example of China’s persistent efforts to steal American intellectual property.”.
“Unscrupulous individuals like Hongjin Tan seek to steal American trade secrets to take back to their homeland in China so they can replicate our technology,” added U.S. Attorney Trent Shores of Oklahoma. “American prosecutors are ready to combat China’s economic aggression that criminally threatens American industry.”
