According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a Canadian residing in China pleaded guilty in a New York federal court on Thursday. He admitted to stealing trade secrets related to Tesla electric vehicle battery manufacturing and conspiring to sell these secrets to undercover government agents posing as buyers.
Klaus Plugerbeer, 58, ran a company in China that sold technology for electric vehicles. He conspired with business partner Shao Yilong to sell Tesla's trade secrets to FBI agents posing as Long Island businessmen, potentially facing up to 10 years in prison.
Plugerbeer's lawyer and Tesla's representatives did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Shao Yilong was also indicted but is currently at large and could not be reached.
U.S. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said in a statement, "With Plugerbeer's guilty plea, he will be held accountable for this illegal activity that threatens national security."
Plugerbeer, who also holds German nationality, was indicted in New York in March. Prosecutors stated that Plugerbeer and Shao Yilong established their own battery business by acquiring trade secrets from a "leading American electric vehicle company."
Prosecutors did not explicitly name the company, but mentioned that it acquired a Canadian battery assembly line manufacturer in 2019, which aligns with Tesla's acquisition of the Canadian company Hibar.
Thursday's statement noted that both Plugerbeer and Shao Yilong previously worked at this Canadian company. Plugerbeer joined Shao Yilong's company in 2020. The Justice Department stated that this unnamed firm now operates in China, Canada, Germany, and Brazil, producing battery assembly equipment similar to their former employer's.
