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Russian specialist detained in Italy charged in US for 'attempting to steal trade secrets'

The US Department of Justice said that "conspiring to and attempting to steal trade secrets is punishable by up to 10 years in prison"

WASHINGTON, September 5. /TASS/. An employee of Russia's JSC United Engine Corporation detained in Italy has been charged in the United States with cospiring and attempting to steal trade secrets from an American aviation company, the US Department of Justice in statement released on Thursday.

"Alexander Yuryevich Korshunov, 57, and Maurizio Paolo Bianchi, 59, were charge by a criminal complaint on Aug. 21," the statement said.

"Conspiring to and attempting to steal trade secrets is punishable by up to 10 years in prison," the statement added.

"Bianchi was a former director at at Italian subsidiary of GE Aviation, one of the world's top aircraft engine suppliers, which is headquartered in the Southern District of Ohio. While working for the subsidiary, Bianchi was responsible for business in China, Russia and Asia," the statement noted.

"Aernova and Aviadvigatel had a contract during the time of the alleged conduct. It is alleged that between 2013 and 2018, Bianchi - on behalf of Korshunov - hired current or former employees of GE Aviation's Italian subsidiary to do consulting work related to jet engine accessory gearboxes for Bianchi and Korshunov. The employees' statements of work typically stated that the 'holders of patent and intellectual property obtained as a result of work are... the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation'," the US Department of Justice said.

"Throughout the consulting, employees allegedly used trade secrets owned by GE Aviation to create the technical report," the statement continued. "The affidavit details that Korshunov arranged and paid for employees to meet with him in June 2013 at the Paris Air Show in Le-Bourget, France, and in 2014 in Milan, Italy, to discuss and revise the technical report," the statement added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier confirmed that Russian citizen Alexander Korshunov was arrested at an airport in Naples, at the US request in Italy.