GM hybrid technology trade secret theft jail terms announced

A former GM engineer, Shanshan Du and her husband Yu Qui have been charged with stealing hybrid technology secrets from company and trying to sell same to China’s Chery Automobiles. United States district Judge Marianne Battani has sentenced Du to one year and one day in prison while Qui will serve three years in jail. Qui’s term is longer due to the fact that he was convicted for fraud, obstruction of justice besides treachery and ownership of trade secrets.

GM was striving to make sure that couple received maximum sentence of 8 years but court cited Du’s ill health and 7 year gap between arrest and sentencing as causes for more moderate prison terms. Couple tried to pilfer secrets between 2003 and 2006 and both are repentant for their actions with Qui taking responsibility on his shoulders.

Couple who were found guilty in November last year, saw Qui also form his own company called Millennium Technology International back in 2005 through which he planned on selling this information to Chery Automobiles though this information never made it into competitor’s hands.