Man Charged With Stealing Trade Secrets From Oklahoma Petroleum Company

The U.S. Department of Justice said it is pursuing an intellectual property theft case against a man accused of stealing trade secrets from an unnamed petroleum company that does business in Oklahoma.

Hongjin Tan, 35, was arrested December 20 and charged with theft of trade secrets, according to U.S. Attorney Trent Shores for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Tan is a Chinese national and a legal permanent resident of the U.S., a news release states. He's accused of downloading files related to the manufacture of a downstream energy market product - trade secrets estimated to be worth more than $1 billion, Shores said.

Investigators said Tan worked for the company as a research engineer at the time of the theft. They allege Tan planned to use the files at a company in China where he had been offered a job.

Court records state the company reviewed Tan's computer activity after he gave two weeks notice, telling his supervisor he was moving back to China to care for his aging parents.

They contacted the FBI after learning he had downloaded restricted files to a personal thumb drive without authorization, an affidavit states.

Tan is scheduled for a preliminary and detention hearing on December 26.