Update 4:14 pm: Xiaoqing Zheng is charged with stealing trade secrets from GE regarding its turbine technologies. He somehow hid the files in a digital photo of a sunset and sent them to himself.
The charges carry a sentence up to ten years and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI and Homeland Security raided a home in Niskayuna on Wednesday. Agents were apparently on site at 8 Cephalonia Drive for many hours before a man was taken out in handcuffs.
The Times Union did some digging and found the current owner of the house are Xiaoqing Zheng and Hui Jin. Xiaoqing Zheng works at GE according to his LinkedIn profile.
Speculation about the arrest indicates it's related to a matter of corporate espionage.
GE released a statement regarding the matter:
At GE, we aggressively protect and defend our Intellectual Property and have strict processes in place for identifying these issues and partnering with law enforcement. We won't have any additional comment at this time as this is an ongoing investigation.
The FBI office in Albany would not give out any more info, but said the arrest was related to a court-ordered warrant.
photo: Google Street View