AMD employee accused of stealing Intel secrets

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 15 Sep 2008 at 12:12

An AMD employee who jumped ship from Intel, has been accused of taking trade secrets with him.

Biswahoman Pani began working at AMD's design facility on 2 June, despite the fact that he wasn't due to leave his post with Intel until the 10 June.

According to the criminal complaint documents lodged by Intel, Pani told his supervisor he was quitting to join a hedge fund. However, a fellow employee discovered Pani's real destination and ordered a check of Intel's systems, discovering that he had indeed download confidential information.

The FBI was called in and search of Pani's home revealed 100 pages of sensitive files, including 13 rated top secret by the chip maker. Pani claims the data was downloaded to help his wife prepare for a new job in Intel's Hudson manufacturing plant.

Lead investigator FBI Special Agent Timothy Russell, claims there's no indication that AMD knew of Pani's actions, or ever received any of the documents he downloaded.

Pani has not been taken into custody but has been stripped of his passport while the investigation continues.

Intel and AMD refused to comment on the story beyond saying they are "cooperating fully with the investigation."