Conviction for Theft of Oil Rig Part Trade Secrets Upheld

A Chinese businessman seeking to enter the specialized and lucrative market for drill riser buoyancy modules—used by oil companies to keep the pipes that extend from drill ships to the ocean floor from crushing under the water pressure—was properly convicted for conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets from Trelleborg AB , the D.C. Circuit said Tuesday.

Shan Shi claimed that the government didn’t show that he and one of its cooperating co-conspirators joined in agreement to commit a crime.

One co-conspirator testified Shi hired him after he said he could get the desired information from friends who worked at ...