Wisconsin man sentenced for stealing secrets from McHenry County firm
A Wisconsin man who was convicted of stealing trade secrets from his Woodstock-based employer of 30 years was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison.
Robert O'Rourke, 59, was convicted of downloading trade secrets from Dura-Bar to take with him to a new job he had accepted at a rival company in China. He was arrested at O'Hare International Airport in 2015.
Prosecutors said O'Rourke worked at the Woodstock cast-iron manufacturing firm as a metallurgist and salesman during his career there. Two days before leaving the Woodstock company, he downloaded unauthorized documents and data to take with him to his new job. He had the materials in his possession at the airport, prosecutors said.
In addition to his prison sentence, O'Rourke was fined $100,000.