Two Chinese scientists charged in another case of seed theft in US
Pair said to have passed on samples from Kansas research facility to visiting delegation
In the second case to emerge in as many days, two agricultural scientists from China are accused of conspiring to take seeds from a research facility in Kansas and pass them to a Chinese delegation visiting the United States.
At a detention hearing on Friday in the state of Arkansas, a judge ordered one of the scientists, Wengui Yan, to remain in custody. The other scientist, Weiqiang Zhang, is set to have a hearing on Tuesday in Kansas.
Yan and Zhang have been charged with conspiracy to steal trade secrets.
Also last week, prosecutors in the state of Iowa said six men from China, including the CEO of a seed corn subsidiary of a Chinese conglomerate, have been charged with conspiring to steal patented seed corn from two of America's leading seed developers. It wasn't immediately clear if the cases in Kansas and Iowa are related. But seed developers spend millions of dollars to develop new varieties and carefully protect them against theft to maintain a competitive advantage.
Prosecutors say Yan and Zhang arranged for a Chinese delegation to visit the United States this year and that customs agents later found stolen seeds in the delegation's luggage as it was preparing to return to China.
At the hearing on Friday, a federal judge ordered Yan, a naturalised US citizen, to remain in custody after prosecutors argued that he could flee the country.
Yan's lawyer, Chris Tarver, said Yan has lived in the US for years and that authorities had seized his client's passport. Zhang's attorney didn't respond to an e-mail.