INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE Former Dow scientist admits to theft of trade secrets
Marc S. Reisch · Chemical & Engineering News · 2011
Former Dow AgroSciences scientist Kexue Huang has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of stealing trade secrets from Dow Chemical and Cargill. If a federal judge in Indianapolis accepts the deal between Huang and federal prosecutors at a hearing on Oct. 18, Huang will avoid a trial scheduled for the end of October. He could receive up to 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on one count and 10 years and another $500,000 fine on the second count. Huang, 46, worked for Dow between 2003 and 2008. He was first arrested by the FBI in July 2010 on charges that he stole information related to the biosynthesis of Dow’s Spinosad-brand spinosyn insecticide (C&EN, July 26, 2010, page 9). According to the plea deal, while he was employed at Dow, Huang applied for funding from the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China. He then used the money to direct R&D at ...