From Tire Review

A federal judge Wednesday sentenced two engineers convicted of stealing trade secrets from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. to four years probation and 150 hours of community service.

In addition, the men were each given four months confinement to their homes, except for employment and a few other exceptions, and a $1,000 fine, which the court waived because of the defendants’ inability to pay.

The light sentence came despite a recommendation by federal prosecutors that Clark Alan Roberts and Sean Edward Howley get a minimum of 10 months in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Phillips, however, noted that the men had no prior criminal history.

Last December, a federal jury found the men guilty on all 10 counts that they conspired to steal and use trade secrets. In 2007, the charges said, Roberts and Howley, acting as employees of Wyko Tire Technology Inc. in Greenback, Tenn., visited Goodyear’s Topeka, Kan., plant, where Howley used his cell phone camera to photograph critical OTR tire production equipment.

Prosecutors alleged that Wyko had trouble getting a similar piece of equipment from China, so the defendants decided to steal Goodyear’s design.

While Goodyear could be due monetary damages in the case based on economic loss, the judge claimed that prosecutors failed to provide verifiable data for a claim.