Scientist sentenced to 2 years behind bars for stealing next-generation battery tech secrets

The intellectual property had an estimated value of $1 billion to the US company it belonged to. A Chinese scientist has been issued a prison sentence of two years for stealing next-generation battery technology from his US employer. The former associate scientist, Hongjin Tan, has also been ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution and will spend three years on supervised release, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said on Thursday.

The 36-year-old used to work for an unnamed US petroleum company. Tan worked with other researchers to develop next-generation technologies for flow batteries and energy storage purposes. However, on December 11, 2018, Tan downloaded hundreds of files relating to the work, handed in his resignation, and was then removed from the premises a day later.

Source: zdnet.com