Italian Court Sentence Thief of Ferrari Secrets to 20 Months in Prison

Okay, admit it - you've seen a Ferrari before and you've thought to yourself "the only way I would ever get to drive one of those is by stealing it." Then, like the driver in our picture to the left, you might have some trouble driving it without a instruction manual.

Well, apparently a former Ferrari engineer stole more than a Ferrari - he was convicted of stealing Ferrari's racing secrets and taking them to benefit his new employer, McLaren. McLaren was apparently fined $100 million by the World Motor Sport Council for its role in this theft. Yes, that's correct - $100 million. And it had some racing points stripped from its column and this means that Ferrari may win the championship, after all.

If you ever had any doubts concerning how seriously the Italian legal system treats trade secret theft, this report should erase some of them. But, we admit and acknowledge, this was a theft from Ferrari. That's akin to stealing the secrets of the Gucci handbag or the recipe for the Ragu sauce. Do that and you better watch out for the telephone pole.