A Canadian residing in China has reportedly been apprehended in the United States for stealing a leading U.S.-based electric vehicle company’s trade secrets.
As shared by Reuters, the perpetrator’s name is Klaus Pflugbeil, and he operates a technology firm in China that specializes in selling technology used in electric vehicles.
Pflugbeil was in New York to meet people whom he believed were businessmen. Instead, he met undercover agents posing as businessmen and was arrested on Tuesday, March 19th, according to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.
The report suggests that Pflugbeil started his business alongside his associate Yilong Shao, who is also accused but at large. The two are accused of founding their business on trade secrets of a “leading U.S.-based electric vehicle company.”
The prosecutors did not name the U.S.-based company, but they did say that it had acquired a Canadian battery manufacturer in 2019. This aligns with Tesla’s acquisition of Hibar Systems, and according to Reuters, both Pflugbeil and Shao are former employees of Hibar Systems.
Source: Reuters
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