Pair accused of stealing battery manufacturing secrets from Tesla and starting their own company

Federal prosecutors in New York say two men are charged with starting a business in China using battery manufacturing technology pilfered from Tesla and trying to sell the proprietary information. Authorities say Klaus Pflugbeil, a Canadian citizen who lives in Ningbo, China, was arrested Tuesday morning on Long Island. The other man named in the criminal complaint is Yilong Shao, also of Ningbo. He remains at large. They are charged with conspiracy to transmit trade secrets, which carries up to 10 years in prison if convicted. A lawyer for Pflugbeil did not immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday night.