Federal prosecutors say a former employee of a DuPont Co. spin-off has been charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets and sell them to Chinese investors.
An indictment unsealed this week accuses Jerry Jindong Xu of trying to steal trade secrets regarding sodium cyanide, a chemical used in mining, while working for Chemours Co. The company, spun off from the DuPont Co. in 2015, is the world's largest producer of sodium cyanide.
Xu, who was arrested in New York in August, remains in federal custody following a sealed bail hearing Tuesday. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Officials say Xu was aided by an unnamed co-conspirator, a longtime DuPont employee who left the company in 2014 to open a cyanide and mining consulting business.
Xu's lawyer did not immediately respond to an email Thursday.
