BAIC Responds to Xiang Dong Yu's Arrest

After late last week the Justice Department announced the arrest of Xiang Dong Yu, former product engineer for Ford, its current employer, Chinese manufacturer BAIC issued a statement on the matter. According to the document, quoted by Reuters, Yu was in the US on a personal leave.

BAIC says Yu has been with the company for 11 months before his arrest, detaching itself from the reasons of his visit to the US. The Chinese say they will continue to monitor the situation.

Yu was apprehended at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. He is accused of stealing trade secrets, attempted theft of trade secrets and unauthorized access to a protected computer. According to the Justice Department, he managed to copy around 4,000 Ford documents, including some sensitive ones.

With the stolen documents, Yu tried to get a job with Chinese manufacturer SAIC in 2007, after in 2006 he managed to get a job with Foxconn and PCE Industry. After SAIC, he was hired by BAIC.

According to the latest reports, the documents stolen by Yu included material related to Ford's door structures, steering wheel assembly, engine and transmission mounting subsystem and the instrument panel.

"We are aware of the issue and cooperating fully with authorities," Mark Truby, Ford spokesman said last week, when the arrest was announced. Ford did not yet comment on any possible prejudices made by Yu's actions.

Yu finds himself in front on a very uncertain future. If found guilty, he can get 10 years in prison for each and a $250,000 fine for each of the counts.