Chinese Accused Of Stealing Tesla's Trade Secrets, Faces 10-Year Jail Term

A Canadian resident of China faces 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in US court to stealing industrial secrets from a leading American electric car maker, justice authorities said Thursday. Canadian and US media identified the company as Tesla. Klaus Pflugbeil, 58, who also holds German citizenship, pleaded guilty to "conspiring to send trade secrets that belonged to a leading US-based electric vehicle company," US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. Pflugbeil now faces up to 10 years in prison for conspiring with co-defendant Yilong Shao, who remains at large, to sell the secrets to FBI agents posing as Long Island businesspeople, the statement said.