Ex-Apple Engineer Who Allegedly Stole Autonomous Car Files Arrested Before China-Bound Flight

An engineer who previously worked at Apple was arrested on his way to China on suspicion that he might have stolen the Cupertino giant’s autonomous vehicle secrets.

Xiaolang Zhang, an ex-Apple engineer, was stopped when he passed through the security checkpoint at San Jose International Airport on July 7. He was supposed to board a flight to China but was arrested on charges of stealing Apple’s driverless car files, Bloomberg first reported.

U.S. prosecutors accused Zhang of downloading confidential files from Apple when he was preparing to leave the company in April. The criminal complaint filed in federal court in San Jose, California claims Zhang planned to steal the secret files for Chinese startup Xiaopeng Motors, his new workplace after his departure from Apple.

Zhang had access to Apple’s confidential databases because he was a hardware engineer for the development team behind the self-driving car project. He took a paternity leave in April. After which, he disclosed to his employer that he was moving back to China to work for the Guangzhou-based startup.

Zhang’s behavior in the days leading to his resignation caused Apple’s management team to become suspicious. He apparently increased his network activity and frequently visited the office before he left for good.

The former Apple employee did not deny the accusation being thrown at him. He admitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he did download the files containing Apple’s driverless technology to his wife’s laptop, so that he could continue accessing the confidential information. However, court documents do not accuse Xiaopeng Motors of any wrongdoing.

Xiaopeng told Wired that it was “stunned and outraged” after learning about the charges against Zhang, who had joined the startup in May. The company has already terminated Zhang’s employment after conducting an investigation and upon the advice of the law firm Morrison and Foerster.

Prosecutors said Zhang stole more than 40GB of confidential files including engineering schematics, technical manuals and reports. No further details about the case were publicly disclosed. Tamara Crepet, who is representing Zhang, didn’t comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, an Apple spokesperson has issued a statement in light of what happened. “Apple takes confidentiality and the protection of our intellectual property very seriously,” company spokesman Tom Neumayr said. “We’re working with authorities on this matter and will do everything possible to make sure this individual and any other individuals involved are held accountable for their actions.”