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Published 16:17 IST, November 14th 2019

Chinese citizen pleads guilty to theft of trade secrets

Federal prosecutors say a Chinese national employed by a U.S. petroleum company has pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing trade secrets from his employer

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Federal prosecutors say a Chinese national employed by a U.S. petroleum company has pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing trade secrets from his employer. Authorities say 35-year-old Hongjin Tan pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court in Tulsa to the theft of a trade secret, unauthorized transmission of a trade secret and unauthorized possession of a trade secret.

A plea agreement calls for Tan to serve up to two years in prison and pay restitution of $150,000.

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Tan’s attorney, Ryan Ray, hasn’t returned a telephone message seeking comment.

Court documents indicate Tan worked for Phillips 66 when he stole secrets related to the development of “next generation battery technologies” worth more than $1 billion. Sentencing is set for February 2020.

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16:15 IST, November 14th 2019