Convicted Coca-Cola Trade Secrets Thief Called Flight Risk By Prosecutors After Friday Fire At Her Apartment

In a case that grabbed the attention of the national trade secrets bar and in-house counsel interested in the criminal implications of corporate trade secrets theft, the weird is only getting weirder. In a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Assistant U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak said clothing, prescription medication, papers and other personal items were found in Joya Williams' Mustang during a search after a fire destroyed her apartment Friday. "With no place to live, with no money, with a significant amount of debt, and with the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence, the defendant poses a serious risk of flight," Pak argued in the motion.

"Residents from the Hunters Point apartment complex reported that they heard what sounded like an argument from Williams' apartment and items may have been thrown through her apartment windows," Pak wrote. Pak also said that Williams made inconsistent statements to investigators about her location and actions during the fire. He added, "Regardless of whether the fire was intentionally or accidentally set, the fact remains that the defendant no longer has a residence at which the pretrial release supervision can be maintained." A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

We will continue to report developments in this matter.