Scientist to plead guilty to stealing trade secret

INDIANAPOLIS — A former Indiana scientist is expected to plead guilty to charges he sent trade secrets worth $300 million to China and Germany.

A plea hearing for 46-year-old Kexue Huang (KEH shoo WANG) is scheduled for Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.

The Chinese-born Huang was indicted in June 2010 but it was kept secret until August 2010. He was charged under the Economic Espionage Act, which was passed in 1996 after the U.S. realized China and other countries were targeting private businesses as part of their spy strategies.

Huang agreed in August to plead guilty of one count of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets to benefit a foreign government and instrumentality. He could face up to 15 years in prison if Judge William Lawrence accepts his plea.