The Rotterdam District Court sentenced a 43-year-old Dutch
citizen to three years in prison on charges of sharing sensitive high-tech data
with an individual from Russia in violation of EU sanctions, according to a
message on the court’s website on July 10.
The man, who worked in the Dutch semiconductor industry, used his employer’s network access for more than four years to download files that were not required for his work. Authorities said he copied confidential information from the servers of his employers at ASML and NXP, companies that specialize in designing and manufacturing microchips.
Over an 18-month period, he shared technical details about setting up chip production lines with a contact in Russia. In court, the man admitted that he had saved files from ASML for his personal use.