Theft of trade secrets nets prison terms

Theft of trade secrets nets prison termsBY DAVID ASHENFELTER . FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER .
February 13, 2009
A former vice president of Metaldyne Corp. and two former senior employees were sentenced in Detroit today to prison terms after pleading guilty to charges involving theft of trade secrets to sell to Chinese competitors.U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood sentenced Anne Lockwood, 56, former vice president of Metaldyne, to 30 months. Fuping Liu, 45 of Flushing, N.Y., a former Metaldyne metallurgist, received nine months. Lockwood's husband, Michael Haehnel, 53, was sentenced to six months in prison.They were indicted in 2006 on charges of pilfering the process for manufacturing heavy auto parts from powdered metal from Plymouth-based Metaldyne and Auburn Hills-based GKN Sinter Metals, Inc. Court records said the two firms are the only companies in the world to make powdered metal successfully into heavy-duty auto parts, such as connecting rods, strong enough to place in large engines.Court records said Anne Lockwood and the others set up a company after she left Metaldyne to receive commissions based on anticipated sales to Chinese firms."The case demonstrates the importance of protecting the intellectual property of U.S. auto suppliers," said Acting U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg, who handled the case.Contact DAVID ASHENFELTER at ashenf@freepress.com.
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