Coca-Cola Chemist Convicted of Stealing Trade Secrets, Selling to China
Chemist Xiaorong You was convicted by a federal jury in Greeneville, Tennessee, for conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, possession of stolen trade secrets, economic espionage and wire fraud, the Department of Justice announced in an April 22 press release.…
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You, also known as Shannon You, was the principal engineer for global research at the Coca-Cola Co. and an employee at Eastman Chemical Co., where she became aware of trade secrets belonging major chemical and coating companies. The secrets were related to formulas for bisphenol-A-free coatings for the inside of beverage cans and cost around $120 million to develop. A Lansing, Michigan, resident, You stole the trade secrets to establish a new BPA-free coating company in China, receiving millions of dollars of support from the Chinese government, DOJ said.