Light jail terms for GM pair over theft of hybrid technology
Light prison terms for ex-staffer and husband who tried to sell trade secrets to Chinese rival
A former General Motors engineer convicted of stealing thousands of pages of hybrid technology was sentenced to just a year and a day in jail, far below the punishment sought by the government in a case that involved her husband and an alleged scheme to take the trade secrets to China.
Shanshan Du's right arm and right leg shook as she tearfully expressed remorse. United States District Judge Marianne Battani said economic espionage was a serious crime, but she also noted Du's health problems and the seven years from FBI raid to trial and sentence.
"I don't think the public needs to be protected from you, but it needs to be protected from others like you," the judge told Du.
Federal guidelines called for a minimum sentence of 61/2 years for Du and husband Yu Qin, but those guidelines are not mandatory. Qin, also an engineer, was sentenced to three years in jail. They will remain free until late summer.
"This is all my fault, and I want to take full responsibility. I'm sorry this all happened ... I'm ashamed," Qin told the judge.
Du, 54, was convicted last fall of conspiracy and possessing trade secrets without approval. Qin, 52, was found guilty of the same crimes, along with fraud and obstruction of justice.
The government accused Du of seeking a transfer within GM to get access to hybrid technology and said she began copying documents by the end of 2003. She copied thousands of records in 2005, five days after getting a severance offer from the carmaker.
