High-Level Scientist and Husband Convicted of Corporate Trade Secrets Theft in California
A former principal scientist at Genentech and her husband have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and other charges related to the theft of trade secrets from Genentech for use by other companies.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Xanthe Lam, a former principal scientist at Genentech, and her husband Allen Lam pleaded guilty to conspiracy and other charges related to the theft of trade secrets from Genentech for use by other companies. The pleas were accepted by the Honorable William Alsup, United States Senior District Judge.
According to the plea agreements filed yesterday and made public today, both Xanthe Lam and Allen Lam conspired to commit theft of trade secrets by stealing confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information from Genentech. Specifically, starting in 2009, Xanthe Lam, an experienced and accomplished scientist then working at Genentech, and her husband, Allen Lam, worked as a team to purloin confidential information from within Genentech and to pass the information on to a number of scientists working for Genentech’s competitors.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, Xanthe Lam pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, one count of conspiracy to make false statements to a government agency, and one count of making false statements to a government agency. Allen Lam also pleaded guilty to four counts of filing false tax returns and one count of conspiracy to make false statements to a government agency.
Judge Alsup accepted the Lams’ guilty pleas and ordered the case adjourned until November 9, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.
The court also may order additional assessments, forfeiture, and restitution; however, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Following nearly three years of cooperation with the government and remedial efforts in connection with its investigation of thefts of trade secrets and wire fraud, JHL Biotech, Inc., now called Eden Biologics, Inc., and Chime Biologics (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant/Respondent: Xanthe Lam
Exact Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, conspiracy to make false statements to a government agency, and making false statements to a government agency
City and State: San Francisco, CA
EXACT DATE: 2021
Sentence or Outcome: Guilty plea accepted by Judge Alsup
Dollar Amounts: None
Tags: White Collar Crime, Corporate Trade Secrets Theft
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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