Former GM Engineer’s Husband Found Guilty of Trade-Secret Theft

Officials found guilty a former GM engineer’s husband accused of stealing the company’s trade secrets for hybrid and EVs.

GM’s former engineer, Shanshan Du, 53, was found not guilty of three counts of wire fraud, while her husband Yu Qin, 51, was found guilty on all six counts, plus a count for obstruction of justice. The wire fraud counts and the obstruction charge carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while the trade secret counts carries 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The sentencing will take place in February 2013.

The trial began on November 5th in U.S. District Court in Detroit and the 12 juries spent almost a day deliberating. In 2010 the former GM engineer Shanshan Du, 53, and her husband, Yu Qin, 51, were charged with trying to steal the automaker’s trade secrets about hybrid vehicles and pass them to China’s Chery Automobile.

“There were no ‘trade secrets’ involved in this case. We are sorry the jury did not understand that and we hope the court or the court of appeals will set aside this verdict,” Frank Eaman, Qin’s attorney, told Automotive News.