Former Ohio Woman Sentenced to Prison for Trying to Sell Trade Secrets to China

Li Chen, formerly of Dublin, Ohio, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for conspiring to steal medical-related trade secrets and sell them to China, the Justice Department said Feb. 1. Chen worked with her husband to try to steal scientific trade secrets related to “exosomes and exosome isolation” from Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Research Institute, the agency said. Both Chen and her husband, Yu Zhou, worked in medical research labs at the institute but received “benefits” from the Chinese government and applied to several Chinese-run talent plans, which are used to transfer foreign research and technology to the Chinese government. She also is accused of setting up a company in China to sell exosome “isolation kits,” based on the trade secrets.Chen will forfeit about $1.25 million, 500,000 shares of common stock of Avalon GloboCare Corp. and 400 shares of common stock of GenExosome Technologies Inc., the Justice Department said. She was also ordered to pay $2.6 million restitution. Her husband pleaded guilty to similar charges and is awaiting sentencing.