Former Bridgestone Employee Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets, Making False Statements

Topics:  Bridgestone, Xiaorong Wang

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio
August 14, 2012

A federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio has returned a 15-count indictment against Xiaorong Wang, charging him with eight counts of theft of trade secrets and seven counts of making false statements to federal agents, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Wang, age 50, resides in Hudson, Ohio, according to court records.

The indictment alleges that Wang was employed as a research scientist at the Bridgestone Center for Research and Technology in Akron, Ohio, from May 1995 until he was terminated on April 14, 2010.

The indictment states that this Bridgestone facility was responsible for conducting research and development for various product lines, including tire, rubber, and other polymer-related development.

The indictment further alleges that on April 14 and 15, 2010, Wang stole Bridgestone’s proprietary trade secret information pertaining to eight projects, formulas, and other confidential information.

The indictment also charges Wang with making a total of seven false statements to investigating FBI agents on April 16, 2010; May 17, 2010; and December 1, 2010. These alleged false statements include Wang’s intention to accept employment at Suzhou University in Suzhou, China, to establish a rheology polymer center.

Wang was previously charged with one count of theft of trade secrets in an information filed on April 26, 2012, and he has pleaded not guilty to that charge.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John D. Sammon and Justin E. Herdman following an investigation by the Akron office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.