Chinese citizen pleads guilty to theft of trade secrets

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

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

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

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