ATLANTA (July 6) - A secretary accused of helping two men steal trade secrets from The Coca-Cola Co. and trying to sell them to rival PepsiCo Inc. was ordered released on bond Thursday in a blockbuster case her lawyer likened to "a spy novel."
Joya Williams' co-defendants, a pair of ex-cons who served time together at the same federal prison in Alabama, were detained pending a preliminary hearing for all three on Tuesday. Their attorneys would not say how Williams knew the two men.
Williams' lawyer, Wanda Jackson, said outside the federal courthouse that the defense needs to see the product sample her client allegedly stole from Coke to be able to defend her properly. Jackson also suggested the product may not be as secretive as Coke has suggested.
"It does sound like something out of a spy novel or movie," Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse. "Why would they leave a product in an office that was easily accessible? What was in it."
Coke hasn't said. Jackson said the defense should be able to test the product.
"The whole thing belies common sense," she said of the accusations.
The suspects were arrested Wednesday -- the day a $1.5 million transaction was to occur. They are charged with stealing confidential information, including a sample of a new drink, from Coke and trying to sell it to Pepsi.
http://articles.news.aol.com/busine...s/20060705162409990020?ncid=NWS00010000000001
Joya Williams' co-defendants, a pair of ex-cons who served time together at the same federal prison in Alabama, were detained pending a preliminary hearing for all three on Tuesday. Their attorneys would not say how Williams knew the two men.
Williams' lawyer, Wanda Jackson, said outside the federal courthouse that the defense needs to see the product sample her client allegedly stole from Coke to be able to defend her properly. Jackson also suggested the product may not be as secretive as Coke has suggested.
"It does sound like something out of a spy novel or movie," Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse. "Why would they leave a product in an office that was easily accessible? What was in it."
Coke hasn't said. Jackson said the defense should be able to test the product.
"The whole thing belies common sense," she said of the accusations.
The suspects were arrested Wednesday -- the day a $1.5 million transaction was to occur. They are charged with stealing confidential information, including a sample of a new drink, from Coke and trying to sell it to Pepsi.
http://articles.news.aol.com/busine...s/20060705162409990020?ncid=NWS00010000000001
