A Canadian resident living in China has admitted guilt in a New York federal court for participating in a scheme to steal trade secrets from a prominent U.S. electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, as reported by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Shao Yilong, a sales and service technician at the Canadian firm from 2010 to 2020, is accused of collaborating with Mr. Pflugbeil but remains at large, as per the document.
In July 2020, Mr. Pflugbeil and Mr. Shao established a business entity with locations in Brazil, Canada, China, and Germany producing “the same precision dispensing pumps and battery assembly lines” as the U.S. EV manufacturer, as detailed in the court document.
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Mr. Pflugbeil proceeded to promote the business as a source for products utilizing the trade secrets of the U.S. EV manufacturer, as stated in the court document.
In 2022, Mr. Pflugbeil established a LinkedIn profile and a YouTube account for the business. He also ran Google ads for the business, including one that read: “Are you looking for [U.S. EV maker’s] metering pumps and spare parts? Look no further.”
In September 2023, undercover FBI agents attended a trade show in Las Vegas posing as potential buyers of a battery assembly line for use in Long Island, New York. While the agents met Mr. Shao at the event, Mr. Pflugbeil was not present.
About two months later, Mr. Pflugbeil sent a 66-page document to the FBI agents, containing drawings with information from the U.S. EV manufacturer, according to the DOJ.
On June 13, Mr. Pflugbeil admitted to conspiring to transmit trade secrets. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the charge.
“With his guilty plea, Pflugbeil is being held accountable for this illicit behavior that put our national security at risk,” Mr. Olsen added.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Tesla for a statement.Â
Please rewrite the following sentence:
“The company’s profits have been steadily increasing over the past year.”
“The company has seen a consistent rise in profits over the past year.”
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