Former Apple employee accused of stealing trade secrets.
Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Tamara Crepet, the lawyer provisionally appointed to represent Zhang, also declined to comment.
(Reuters)- U.S. authorities on Monday charged a former Apple employee with stealing trade secrets, alleging he downloaded a secret model related to a self-driving car and then attempted to flee the country, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the indictment, former employee Xiaolang Zhang disclosed his intentions to work for a Chinese autonomous vehicle startup and booked a last-minute flight to China after downloading a circuit board blueprint for the self-driving car. U.S. authorities arrested Zhang on July 7 at San Jose airport after he passed through a security checkpoint.
Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Tamara Crepet, the lawyer provisionally appointed to represent Zhang, also declined to comment.
By Stephen Nellis