A secretary accused of helping two men steal trade secrets from the Coca-Cola Co and trying to sell them to rival PepsiCo Inc was ordered released on bond yesterday in a blockbuster case her lawyer likened to "a spy novel."
Joya Williams' co-defendants, a pair of ex-cons who served time together at the same federal prison in Alabama, were detained pending a preliminary hearing for all three on Tuesday.
Their attorneys would not say how Williams knew the two men.
Williams' lawyer, Wanda Jackson, said outside the federal courthouse that the defense needs to see the product sample her client allegedly stole from Coke to be able to defend her properly.
Jackson also suggested the product may not be as secretive as Coke has suggested.
"It does sound like something out of a spy novel or movie," Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse.
"Why would they leave a product in an office that was easily accessible? What was in it," Jackson said.
Coke hasn't said. Jackson said the defense should be able to test the product.
"The whole thing belies common sense," she said of the accusations against her client.
The suspects were arrested on Wednesday -- the day a US$1.5 million transaction was to occur.
CHARGES
All three are charged with stealing confidential information, including a sample of a new drink, from Coke and trying to sell it to Pepsi.
They also face charges of wire fraud.
Williams, who worked as an administrative assistant for a Coke executive at the corporate headquarters in Atlanta, is accused of rifling through corporate files and stuffing documents and a new Coca-Cola product into her bag.
Williams has since been fired, US Magistrate Judge Joel Feldman said during Thursday's hearing.
Feldman also signed a protective order that prevents the defendants from revealing any secrets they know about the company to anyone other than their lawyers.
An attorney for Coca-Cola, Stephen Cowen, told Feldman he also may seek to bar certain documents and other information from being turned over to the defense during discovery.
FATHER'S SUPPORT
Williams' father told reporters he is standing by his daughter.
"Up until this point, I believe she left each and every one of her other jobs in good standing," George Williams said, adding that his daughter was excited to land a job at Coca Cola four or five years ago.
As the suspects appeared in court, more details about their backgrounds emerged.
At the time of the alleged theft, Williams, 41, had been working for a senior Coke manager, Javier Sanchez Lamelas, who is a global brand director for the beverage giant, the company said.
She doesn't have a criminal record, according to her attorney.
Edmund Duhaney, who told the judge he is 42 though federal prosecutors list him as 43, served nearly five years of a seven-year sentence for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute at a federal prison in Montgomery, Alabama, according to US Bureau of Prisons spokesman Mike Truman.
He was released in February last year.
Ibrahim Dimson, who told the judge he is 28 though prosecutors list him as 30, served less than one year of a two-year sentence for conspiracy to commit bank fraud at the same prison as Duhaney, Truman said.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi, usually bitter enemies, worked together to foil the alleged trade secrets theft plot.
RIVALS COOPERATE
According to prosecutors, on May 19, Purchase, New York-based PepsiCo provided Coke with a copy of a letter that had been mailed to Pepsi in an official Coca-Cola business envelope.
The letter, postmarked from the Bronx in New York, was from an individual identifying himself as "Dirk," who claimed to be employed at a high level with Coca-Cola and offered "very detailed and confidential information."
"Dirk" was later identified as Dimson, the FBI says.
Coca-Cola immediately contacted the FBI and an undercover FBI investigation began.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source