Two British Engineers Charged With Espionage… Industrial Espionage That Is.
By: Ainsley Brown
No, no this is not a joke nor is it a case of a 007 mission gone awry. Its is a simple case of two British engineers; a British company and its subsidiary; a mobile phone; an American tire company’s secret equipment; and a Chinese tire company.
Oh all so simple, indeed.
The two engineers, Mr. Clark Roberts and Mr. Sean Howley are due to stand trail in May in Knoxville, Tennessee charged with 12 offences relating to theft of trade secrets and fraud. Both men are looking at a maximum sentence of 150 years – yes you read correctly 150 years – and a fine of $2.75 million.
Oh all so simple, indeed.
The story of how these men found themselves in this predicament unfolds as interestingly as any spy novel – if not better. It’s very true as they say: truth is often stranger than fiction.
The two men worked for Wyko Tire Technology Inc. in Greenback, Tennessee, which happens to be a member of the Wyko Group, one of Britain’s largest suppliers of engineering components. It is alleged that the pair conned their way in to a Goodyear plant in Topeka, Kansas, where they took photographs which were emailed to Wyko Tire Technology in Dudley, Midlands, UK.
And what piece of sophisticated spy gear was used?
Are you ready for this? The answer: a mobile phone. Yes, a mobile phone. No not a watch or a pen that doubles as a camera but an everyday run of the mill cell phone.
According to US prosecutors the two men after conning their way into the Goodyear plant, Mr. Roberts acting as lookout while Mr. Howley proceeded to take the 7 photos. The pictures were of a piece of top secret specialized equipment used in the manufacturing of large off-road tires for earth moving equipment. Later the 7 photos just so happen to end up in the hands of Wyko Tire in England, which coincidentally happened to have a $1.2 million contract with Haohua South China (Guilin) Rubber Company, based – you guessed it – in China, to produce a very similar piece of equipment.
Both men of course deny all the charges.
Oh all so simple, indeed.
Thats hilarious man reads more like teen mystery novel. I didnt know the penalties for industrial espionage were that high.