Ex-Coke Secretary Sentenced to 8 Years

AP via SFGate ^ | 5/23/7 | HARRY R. WEBER

[SmithL]

ATLANTA (AP) -- A federal judge ignored a former Coca-Cola secretary's plea for mercy Wednesday and sentenced her to eight years in prison for conspiring to steal trade secrets from the world's largest beverage maker.

U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester told Joya Williams, 42, that he was giving her a longer sentence than recommended by federal prosecutors and sentencing guidelines because, "This is the kind of offense that cannot be tolerated in our society."

Williams had faced up to 10 years in prison on the single conspiracy charge in a failed scheme to sell Coke's trade secrets to rival Pepsi for at least $1.5 million.

But sentencing guidelines, which federal judges are not bound by, called for a sentence of 63 months to 78 months. Williams was convicted Feb. 2 following a jury trial in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, where The Coca-Cola Co. is based.

"I can't think of another case in 25 years that there's been so much obstruction of justice," the judge said.

[Brilliant]

Too bad she did not merely commit murder. She’d be out in 5.

[Sloth]

Williams had faced up to 10 years in prison on the single conspiracy charge in a failed scheme to sell Coke's trade secrets to rival Pepsi for at least $1.5 million.

I'm a Coke drinker, but it's worth mentioning that Pepsi was honest & turned this matter over to Coke (and the authorities) as soon as the offer was made.

[rawhide]

Forrester ignored a tearful apology by Williams, which marked the first time she acknowledged what she did. Williams had testified during the trial that she did not commit a crime. "Your honor, I have expanded my consciousness through this devastating experience," Williams said before she was sentenced. "This has been a very defining moment in my life. I have become infamous when I never wanted to become famous." She added, "I am sorry to Coke and I'm sorry to my boss and to you and to my family as well."

A little late to ask the court for mercy, especially when you did not even acknowledge you committed a crime, until the day of sentencing.

[mkjessup]

Lucky for the defendant that she didn’t try to sell the recipe for McDonald’s Big Mac ‘secret sauce’, or she’d be doing life without parole!

[Brilliant]

“This is the kind of offense that cannot be tolerated in our society.”

Unlike all of the other offenses, which we tolerate on a daily basis.

[TxCopper]

That’s easy! The “Secret Sauce” is just mayonnaise that has been left in the sun.

[geezerwheezer]

She and her boyfriend are just poor, misunderstood minorities who tried to free up some extra cash by selling Coca-Cola’s trade secrets to their arch rivals, Pepsico. Problem was, Pepsico called in the feds and blamo...their goose was cooked! She should have been gone for 10 years, instead of eight.

[mtbopfuyn]

Why bother? Last I heard, Pepsi won the taste test.

[SpaceBar]

Too bad she did not merely commit murder. She’d be out in 5.

If it were missile guidance microcode she'd be on the campaign trail with her presidential candidate spouse.

[RC51]

idiots, They should have tried to sell it to China.

[rbosque]

[1rudeboy]

That’s because the folks at Pepsi are smarter than the ones at Coke . . . and they’re not going to prison for it.

[frithguild]

That’s because the folks at Pepsi are smarter than the ones at Coke

Or that Pepsi already has the recipie...

[gipper81]

She and her boyfriend are just poor, misunderstood minorities who tried to free up some extra cash by selling Coca-Cola’s trade secrets to their arch rivals, Pepsico. Problem was, Pepsico called in the feds and blamo...their goose was cooked! She should have been gone for 10 years, instead of eight.

I'm very disappointed that I haven't read of any support and commentary from Jesse Jackson. Maybe she was just applying an entrepreneural and creative form of his Corporate Financial Shake-down Strategy (tm).

[ozzymandus]

She deserves every second of it, but how many murderers get off?

[dighton]

“This is the kind of offense that cannot be tolerated in our society.”

“You’re gonna have to answer to the Coca-Cola company.”

[Oberon]

Pepsi doesn’t need to know the recipe for Coke. The soft-drink market is carved up on the basis of brand awareness, not taste, and Coke and Pepsi own virtually the whole market between them. The Coke recipe is of no use to Pepsi under those circumstances.

[dangus]

Busted for illegal coke trafficking. Now THAT’s funny.

[michigander]

Should have stuck to stealing highly classified documents from the US Archives. No time served.