Oregon Tech Engineer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Trade Secrets from Semiconductor Giant

Varun Gupta (44) has pleaded guilty to possessing trade secrets from the Oregon campus of one of the largest global semiconductor manufacturers in the world, where he worked as a product marketing engineer.

He was Prohibited from Disclosing Trade Secrets

In terms of his employment contract, Gupta was prohibited from disclosing, making, or retaining unauthorized copies of trade secrets and confidential information without company authorization.

Court documents reveal that Gupta worked as a product marketing engineer for an American technology company from July 2010 to January 2020. The company has headquarters in California, with its largest campus and number of employees in Oregon.

While employed by the American technology company, Gupta had access to confidential and valuable information that was secured using multiple layers of protection. Gupta could access manufacturing capabilities, product development, pricing structures, and strategies.

Downloaded 4,000 Files of Confidential Information

Gupta resigned in January 2020, saying he intended to work for a technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Court documents reveal that while still employed in Oregon, Gupta downloaded about 4,000 files, many containing trade secrets and confidential information.

Gupta used his company-issued computer to transfer the information to his personal portable hard drives.

While employed by the Washington company between February and July 2020, Gupta accessed his previous employer’s trade secrets and confidential information that he had in his possession without authorization.

Court documents reveal that while working for the Washington company, Gupta used information about customized product design and pricing for significant purchases of computer processors when he was in direct negotiations with his previous employer.

He was charged with possessing stolen trade secrets on 26 December 2024 and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years supervised release.

Gupta appeared in the U.S. District Court in Portland on Thursday, with sentencing scheduled on 12 August, according to the Oregon U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The FBI conducted investigations, and the case was prosecuted by William M. Narus, Acting U.S. Attorney, and Geoffrey A. Barrow, Assistant U.S. Attorney, both from Oregon District, and Anand B. Patel, Senior Counsel for the Criminal Division.