In 2006, Joya Williams, an administrative assistant at Coca-Cola, attempted to sell confidential company trade secrets to Pepsi for $1.5 million.
Feeling unfairly treated at Coca-Cola, Williams collaborated with Ibrahim Dimson and Edmund Duhaney to execute the scheme.
Under the alias “Dirk,” Dimson contacted Pepsi, posing as a senior Coca-Cola executive, to offer the stolen information. However, Pepsi acted ethically, notifying Coca-Cola and reporting the matter to the FBI.
The FBI launched an investigation and they were arrested for wire fraud and theft of trade secrets. Williams received an eight-year prison sentence, Dimson was sentenced to five years, and Duhaney received a two-year sentence.
The case underscored the importance of ethical business practices and the legal protection of trade secrets, even amidst intense corporate competition.
