REPORT: Former Ford employee arrested for stealing trade secrets
Former Ford engineer Xiang Dong Yu, also known as Mike Yu, was arrested Wednesday at the Chicago O'Hare airport and indicted on suspicion of stealing trade secrets from his former employer. Yu, who worked at Ford Motor Company from 1997 to 2007, is being charged with downloading over 4,000 sensitive documents to an external hard drive before leaving the automaker for an opportunity with another U.S. company's Chinese operations. Yu was nabbed while arriving in the U.S. from China where he was stationed.The Free Press is reporting that Yu is being charged with stealing "system design specifications connected to engine and transmission mounting systems; outside rear view windows; sliding doors; steering wheel assembly; interior trim; wipers and washers systems; front/rear side door; instrument panel and console systems; sound and heat control and electric power systems."
Those sound like some serious charges, and if Yu is convicted he can do some even more serious time behind bars. Each count of the theft of trade secrets carries a 10 year term in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Yu is also charged with unauthorized access of a protected computer, which carries a five year term in the clink and a $250,000 fine. Detroit FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena told the Free Press that the Bureau takes the trade secrets of the auto industry very seriously, adding that "theft of trade secrets is a threat to national security and investigating allegations involving theft of trade secrets is a priority for the FBI."
Ford is understandably being silent right now in light of the seriousness of what's going on, and at this point we have no idea if any of Ford's important information fell into the hands of the wrong people. Since Yu is just now being brought to justice, it will likely be some time before all the details materialize. Regardless, it will be interesting to see if Yu shopped the illegal data and if there were any takers.
[Source: Free Press | Photo: U.S. Marshals Service]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Kris 10:10AM (10/16/2009)
I laughed a little at the part where Ford is pissed at someone stealing their wiper system design.
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vespid82 10:57AM (10/16/2009)
+1
Matt 2:00PM (10/16/2009)
+1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Randy 2:39AM (10/17/2009)
+1 - But in all fairness, I do believe every car on the market has the stolen wipers!
And...
@Matt
Two posts in a row of yours are pure crap! You need to get off your Ford Hating game and Drive One!
And no, I'm not going to say "Into a wall". That would wreck a perfectly good car! And you'd probably live with all the 5 star safety features. And heck, with all that Ford Quality that not even Honda or Toyota beat mixed with all sorts of class leading options like blind spot sensors, backup sensors, braking assists, you'd probably not even crash it!
Oh, one more thing... Hating Ford is soo 1998... Get with the times bro.. Ford Rocks A to X... (they still have a couple cars to roll out (i.e. Fiesta and the Other one). So Y and Z are reserved for that time... ;)
Randy 2:41AM (10/17/2009)
Oh and I'm not being a racists f*ck and I do NOT think all asian people look alike but doe this guy look like Jackie Chan or what? I thought i was Jackie Chan at first! Not being a sh*t either...
Avinash machado 10:16AM (10/16/2009)
Is his username Matt?
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NS 11:05AM (10/16/2009)
or Brian .. perhaps .. awright, stopping the bitching now ;)
Kumar 10:16AM (10/16/2009)
"theft of trade secrets is a threat to national security and investigating allegations involving theft of trade secrets is a priority for the FBI."
- Yeah, ok. Just don't let investigations like these get in the way of catching people who are really threatening national security. You know, like them there terrorists.
Those penalties read like the disclaimer shown before watching pirated dvds. ;)
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jpm100 10:36AM (10/16/2009)
How do we pay for the military and anti-terror efforts? The economy.
Its important to national security as well. Perhaps the need isn't as immediate with something like this, but if stealing secrets became a free for all, its a headache we don't need.
Mr and Mrs Cain 10:22AM (10/16/2009)
Who is sick of tax payers paying for police to drive: Hummers, Chargers, Tahoes and Mustang Shelby GT 500's??
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mPlacki 10:29AM (10/16/2009)
I have yet to see a cop driving a Hummer or GT500.
Trade secret theft is a serious offense, and I hope it's punished accordingly.
scubaru wrex 10:34AM (10/16/2009)
Most of the time if the police are driving something crazy like a hummer or exotic sports car, they are seized from criminals.
why not the LS2LS7? 12:38PM (10/16/2009)
There's little crazy about a Hummer (H2 or H3), it's just a Tahoe/Suburban.
I've seen cops driving all of the above except the GT500.
Luso 10:34AM (10/16/2009)
We have to take news/cases like this with a pinch of salt. The guy was a Ford employee for 10 years. That's a very long time. How many secrets can he steal, that he doesn't already have as experience and knowledge?
http://www.carnorama.com
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evolution2003 7:21PM (10/16/2009)
all it says is that he worked there for 10 years, not in what capacity. For all we know, he was a sharepoint admin or something not directly related to design work. The charges include unauthorized access to a protected computer, so he obviously wasn't supposed to be in whatever system he got the data. We'll just have to see what shakes out in the details.
(And i'll bet a dollar that every computer user in ford is going to stay away from facebook and their fantasy football league for at least a little while :) )
John Holmes 10:38AM (10/16/2009)
Well, a Hummer seems redundant as a police vehicle. I mean we already know they are spectacularly under-endowed...meter maids with guns.
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Bobcat 10:41AM (10/16/2009)
...and at this point we have no idea if any of Ford's important information fell into the hands of the wrong people...
Toyota or Hyundai and Kia???
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ConceptVBS 4:42AM (10/17/2009)
Even if Ford had "secrets", no one would want it. Except, of course, the Chinese.
216 10:49AM (10/16/2009)
Bond Villian? anyone?
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nomatta 11:08AM (10/16/2009)
China has been reverse engineering and steeling trade secrets for a long time. We might as well give it to them they probally own Ford indirectly anyway.When China finally gets the details right and with they're slave labor and not caring about pollution at all we are going to be owned. We better get to work and stop buying they're crap or we are done.
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