US, Chinese Citizens Indicted on Trade Secrets Theft Conspiracy - DoJ

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A Chinese and a US citizen have been indicted in the US state of Tennessee for conspiracy to commit trade secrets theft and wire fraud related to bisphenol-A-free coatings, the US Department of Justice said in a press release.

"A grand jury sitting in Greeneville, Tennessee, has returned an indictment against Xiaorong You, a/k/a Shannon You, 56, of Lansing, Michigan, and Liu Xiangchen, 61, of Shandong Province, China for conspiracy to steal trade secrets related to formulations for bisphenol-A-free (BPA-free) coatings", the release said on Thursday. “You was also indicted on seven counts of theft of trade secrets and one count of wire fraud".

The Justice Department said Liu and You stole trade secrets from multiple owners I the amount of $119.6 million to develop and include the development BPA-free coating. The coatings are used inside cans and food containers to minimize flavor loss without the harmful health effects of BPA.

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The indictment asserts that You exploited her employment at two companies in Atlanta and Kingsport, Tennessee, that were conducting research and production of various BPA-free technologies, to steal trade secrets and provide the information for the economic benefit of a Chinese company managed by Liu.

Liu awarded You by helping her receive China’s Thousand Talents recruitment, as well as financial benefits and share in ownership of a new Chinese company that would own the stolen information.

The FBI has investigated the case of the theft and transfer of BPA-free coating trade secrets, according to the release.

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