A researcher has pleaded guilty to charges that he stole trade secrets from his government and civilian employers, but his attorneys are hoping to limit the time he serves in prison.
The Charlotte Observer reports Xiwen Huang pleaded guilty Friday to one count of stealing trade secrets. Federal prosecutors say the 55-year-old chemical engineer stole proprietary technology and hundreds of pages of documents over the last decade from his government and civilian employers, including a Charlotte company.
Court documents say his goal was to help the Chinese government as well as his own company.
Huang faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine at sentencing. His defense team hopes to limit his sentence after filing documents indicating some of the charges against their clients aren't true.
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