Ex-Ford Engineer Sent To Prison In Espionage Case
DETROIT (AP) - An engineer who stole trade secrets from Ford Motor Co. has been sentenced to almost six years in prison.
Xiang Dong Yu is also known as Mike Yu. He admits copying thousands of documents with details on engine transmission systems and electrical power supply before leaving to work for a Chinese competitor in 2008.
Yu was sentenced Tuesday to 70 months in prison and will be deported to China after his release. He worked at Ford for 10 years and quit the company by sending an e-mail from China in January 2007.
A year earlier, Ford received a tip from Yu's ex-girlfriend that he'd provided Ford documents to potential employers. The company has described the information as the "DNA'' found in all Ford vehicles.
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