According to the FBI, its investigators found in Yu's computer data regarding Ford and an yet unidentified company.
"Based on what was recovered from the defendant's laptop, there is a strong prospect that the defendant will be charged with additional offenses based on the additional trade-secret documents of Ford and the unidentified other company," the US prosecutors say in a document quoted by Autonews.
Yu was arrested on October 16, as soon as he set foot on US soil at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. He was accused with theft of trade secrets, attempted theft of trade secrets and unauthorized access to a protected computer. Five days later, Yu was denied bail, based on the fact that he still had the stolen documents in his possession and has a strong determination to leave the country.
Following Yu's arrest, some reactions began coming from China, where the engineer was employed by both Ford and local automotive companies. Chinese manufacturer BAIC, Yu's latest employer, even went as far as releasing a statement detaching itself from the reasons of his visit to the US.
According to the charges brought to the Chinese national, Yu copied 4,000 Ford documents, including sensitive design documents. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each of the theft counts, as well as 5 years in prison and another $250,000 fine for unauthorized access to a protected computer.
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