Independent public-source research Read our evidence standard
ChinaSteals Search
Menu
← All case files CS-029 Jump to sources ↓

Energy & advanced manufacturing / 2005–2014

A GM engineer copied 16,000 hybrid-vehicle files before building a venture aimed at a Chinese automaker S1 S2 S3

Days after accepting a severance offer, General Motors engineer Shanshan Du copied thousands of files, including hybrid-motor source code and schematics. She and her husband then pursued a business relationship with Chery Automobile. S1 S2 S3

Evidence at a glance How labels work

Evidence status Adjudicated
Case-level nexus context No state nexus established
Public sources 3 Automated checks verify citation linkage; editorial review judges support
Evidence foundation Primary adjudicative record A linked judgment, opinion, verdict, or signed plea anchors the adjudicated posture; source notes distinguish any remaining allegations. S3
Publication record Published Aug 23, 2026 Reviewed Aug 25, 2026 · Next Jun 26, 2027

Evidence status and PRC-state nexus answer different questions and must not be joined across different actors. Actor-specific outcomes appear below.

Compare this file
Finding

A jury convicted Du and Qin of conspiracy and unauthorized possession of GM trade secrets. Du was acquitted of wire fraud; Qin was convicted on all counts, including wire fraud and obstruction, and the Sixth Circuit affirmed. S2 S3 S1

01 / Executive brief

Executive summary

Shanshan Du worked in General Motors' hybrid-vehicle group. After accepting a severance offer in January 2005 and before leaving the company, she copied approximately 16,000 files to an external drive. The collection included source code, motor-control material, and engineering schematics related to hybrid vehicles. S1 S2

Du and her husband, Yu Qin, developed Millennium Technology International and pursued a joint venture that contemplated selling related technology to Chinese automaker Chery. Both were convicted of trade-secret conspiracy and possession; Qin was also convicted of wire fraud and obstruction after agents saw him discard shredded subpoenaed records. Du received one year and one day, Qin three years, and their convictions were affirmed. S1 S2 S3

Cutaway diagram labeling the engine, battery, motor, generator, and controls in a hybrid electric vehicle
illustration

A hybrid powertrain combines tightly integrated mechanical, electrical, control, and battery systems. This U.S. Department of Energy diagram is contextual; it is not a GM or Chery exhibit from the case.

U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center · Public domain ↗

02 / The vignette

What happened

The copy happened inside the departure window

Du accepted GM's severance offer, then used the remaining access period to move roughly 16,000 files to an external drive. When she left, she certified that she had returned company property. The copied material stayed with her and later appeared in the couple's private business environment. S1 S3

A venture supplied the commercial pathway

Du became president of Millennium Technology International while Qin pursued partners and potential investors. Trial evidence tied the venture's aggressive development schedule to technology similar to GM's and showed communications aimed at a relationship with Chery. The files were therefore not merely archived; they sat beside an effort to commercialize adjacent hybrid-motor capability. S2 S3

Denials and shredding extended the scheme

When GM questioned the couple, both denied retaining its files. A later search recovered more GM documents. The day investigators executed a warrant and served subpoenas, surveillance agents watched Qin discard bags of shredded records in a grocery-store dumpster; reconstructed documents supported the obstruction conviction. Du, however, was acquitted on the wire-fraud counts, a separate outcome preserved here. S3

03 / Anatomy

How access became transfer

This six-part framework asks the same questions of every file. Each stage carries its own evidence state; a listed stage can be alleged, inferred, interrupted, disputed, or not established. The structure does not manufacture a completed transfer or harm.

  1. 01

    Relationship context Documented

    GM hybrid engineer

    Du's engineering role exposed her to GM motor-control and hybrid-vehicle development files. S1 S3

  2. 02

    Access assessed Documented

    Severance access remained active

    She retained system access after accepting severance and before her employment ended. S1 S3

  3. 03

    Acquisition assessed Adjudicated or admitted

    Sixteen thousand files copied

    Du moved a large GM collection, including trade-secret documents, to an external drive. S1 S2

  4. 04

    Movement assessed Documented

    Files entered MTI environment

    GM documents were found in the defendants' possession and connected to their private venture. S3

  5. 05

    Downstream use assessed Not established

    Commercial relationship pursued; later use not established

    The couple sought to exploit similar hybrid technology through a proposed relationship with Chery, but the cited record does not establish that Chery or a later product received or used GM's trade secrets. S2 S3

  6. 06

    Consequences assessed Adjudicated or admitted

    Convictions and affirmed sentences

    Both received prison terms; Du's wire-fraud acquittals and Qin's additional convictions remained intact on appeal. S2 S3

04 / Evidence boundary

What is established—and what is not

Established in the record

  • Du and Qin were convicted of conspiring to possess and possessing GM hybrid-vehicle trade secrets without authorization. S2 S3
  • Qin was convicted of wire fraud and obstruction; Du was acquitted of wire fraud. S3

Uncertain, limited, or unresolved

  • GM estimated the stolen documents at more than $40 million, but that figure is a company estimate and not restated as the court's loss calculation. S1 S2

Subject response / procedural context

  • Both defendants contested the case at trial and on appeal. The appellate court affirmed, while Du's trial acquittals on wire fraud remained part of the final outcome. S3

05 / Sequence

Timeline

  1. Files copied before departure

    Du accepted severance and copied approximately 16,000 GM files during the exit window. S1 S3

  2. Search and shredding

    Agents recovered retained GM documents and observed Qin discarding shredded subpoenaed business records. S3

  3. Jury verdict

    Both were convicted on trade-secret counts; Du was acquitted on wire fraud while Qin was convicted on all counts. S2 S3

  4. Appeal decided

    The Sixth Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentences. S3

06 / People and institutions

Who appears in the public record

Shanshan Du

Former GM hybrid engineer and MTI president S1 S2 S3

Outcome: Convicted of trade-secret offenses; acquitted of wire fraud; sentenced to one year and one day S3

Actor-specific PRC nexus No state nexus established

Shanshan Du: The venture pursued business with Chery Automobile, but the cited adjudicated record does not establish PRC government direction or support. S1 S2 S3

Yu Qin

Du's husband and MTI organizer S1 S2 S3

Outcome: Convicted on all counts; sentenced to three years S3

Actor-specific PRC nexus No state nexus established

Yu Qin: The venture pursued business with Chery Automobile, but the cited adjudicated record does not establish PRC government direction or support. S1 S2 S3

Millennium Technology International

Private venture through which the couple pursued hybrid-technology business S1 S2 S3

Actor-specific PRC nexus No state nexus established

Millennium Technology International: The venture pursued business with Chery Automobile, but the cited adjudicated record does not establish PRC government direction or support. S1 S2 S3

Chery Automobile

Prospective Chinese commercial partner S1 S2 S3

Actor-specific PRC nexus No state nexus established

Chery Automobile: The venture pursued business with Chery Automobile, but the cited adjudicated record does not establish PRC government direction or support. S1 S2 S3

Originator / affected institution

General Motors

Developer and owner of the hybrid-vehicle trade secrets S1 S2 S3

07 / Consequences

Documented, attributed, potential, and unknown consequences

Attributed estimate

GM estimated the 16,000-file collection, including hybrid trade secrets, at more than $40 million. S1 S2

08 / Hindsight analysis

Where leadership could have seen risk

These are our analytic judgments based on the public record, not court findings. They are framed to improve controls without treating nationality as a risk factor.

Severance created a live collection window

Access remained broad during the period between accepting departure terms and actually leaving the company.

A spouse-operated venture multiplied risk

Employer information moved into a separate commercial entity whose relationships and objectives were outside normal conflict review.

09 / Apply the lesson

Actions leaders can take

  1. companies

    Re-scope access at notice

    Reduce permissions and monitor bulk transfers as soon as severance, resignation, or involuntary-departure decisions are known.

  2. companies

    Review family-linked ventures

    Require disclosure of outside companies controlled by employees or close relatives when their products overlap protected work.

  3. both

    Preserve and reconstruct evidence

    Issue legal holds quickly and maintain the forensic ability to recover deleted, shredded, or dispersed business records.

10 / Source record

Sources

Links point to the public record reviewed for this file. Government releases can summarize court proceedings but remain government-authored sources; the source note identifies those limits.

  1. S1

    Indictment: United States v. Yu Qin and Shanshan Du ↗

    U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan · Published Jul 22, 2010 · Retrieved Aug 23, 2026

    Charging document; later verdict and appeal control the outcome statements.

    procedural record court record
  2. S2

    Eastern District of Michigan Annual Report for 2013 ↗

    U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan · Published Dec 31, 2013 · Retrieved Aug 23, 2026

    contextual research government release
  3. S3

    United States v. Shanshan Du and Yu Qin, Opinion Affirming Convictions ↗

    U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · Published Jun 26, 2014 · Retrieved Aug 23, 2026

    adjudicative record court record

12 / Reference

Cite this dossier

Use the permanent URL and review date below so readers can identify the version of the public-source record you consulted.

ChinaSteals. “A GM engineer copied 16,000 hybrid-vehicle files before building a venture aimed at a Chinese automaker.” CS-029. Published Aug 23, 2026; last reviewed Aug 25, 2026. https://chinasteals.com/cases/shanshan-du-yu-qin-gm-hybrid/

Permanent dossier URL →