Montreal engineer heads to U.S. prison for stealing trade secrets from General Electric
A Montreal engineer was sentenced to two years in a U.S. prison Wednesday for conspiring to steal trade secrets from General Electric.
Jean Patrice Delia, age 46, was working for GE in upstate New York when he used the company's trade secrets, "stolen marketing data" and pricing information, among other information, to compete with his employer.
He shared the information with a co-conspirator, Miguel Sernas, a Mexican citizen who was convicted in the same case and sentenced in 2019, the release said.
Delia was investigated by the FBI and pleaded guilty almost two years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Wednesday announcing his sentencing.
"As part of his guilty plea entered on December 10, 2019, Delia admitted that he conspired with his business partner and co-defendant, Miguel Sernas," using the stolen information, the authorities wrote.
Delia admitted that he and Sernas were operating as "ThermoGen Power Services" and used the trade secrets "to compete against GE around the world."
There appears to be a strong Canadian, and Montreal, connection to the case: Thermogen Power Services, whose website is still in operation, lists head offices in Canada and Mexico, with a phone number with a Montreal area code.
Online, the company's address is listed as being in downtown Montreal, on Robert-Bourassa Blvd.
It offers services to power plant companies, especially performance testing of the plants, according to the website. That includes gas, wind and solar turbines and fossil-fuel boilers.
Delia worked as an engineer for GE in Schenectady, New York, near Albany, from 2001 through 2012, according to U.S. authorities.
He admitted to conspiring with Sernas from 2008 through 2019.
Both men have been ordered to pay restitution of $1.4 million each as well as sentenced to jail time.
Sernas was sentenced on Dec. 10, 2019 to time served, about a year in jail.
In Delia's case, the judge "ordered [him] to jail, denying his request for a date on which to self-report to prison."
A LinkedIn profile for a J.P. Delia, the owner of Thermogen Power Services, says he attended Concordia University for mechanical engineering.
After many years at GE, beginning as a power plant performance specialist, he lists himself as working full-time at his own company since 2012.
Thermogen's website lists projects in countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Peru, the U.S. and many other countries.
The only project in Canada appeared to be a review of two biomass plants in B.C.
"Since its founding more than a decade ago, TGPS has executed projects providing thermal performance engineering services to hundreds of power plants of all technologies in all continents," the company said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.