Charges dropped against ex-Bridgestone scientist
All charges against a former research scientist at the Bridgestone Americas technical centre in Akron have been dropped, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Xiaorong Wang, 50, of Hudson, Ohio, is "very relieved," his lawyer, Paul Adamson, told the newspaper.
Wang had been accused of stealing trade secrets in 2010 from Bridgestone’s facility and giving them to a Chinese polymer maker. U.S. District Judge James Gwin in late September ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to show Wang was going to economically benefit from taking Bridgestone information.
Charges of making false statements to the FBI were dropped this week, according to the newspaper. “Obviously we are disappointed with the judge’s decision in this case, but we respect the process and must move on,” U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said. Wang was fired from his job in April 2010 over a dispute with managers unrelated to the trade secret theft claims. He downloaded files from Bridgestone computers onto six CDs on the day he was sacked. He would have faced 15 years in prison on the federal espionage charges if convicted.
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