Lawyer Hits Out At Goldman 'And The American Way'

'He left Russia for freedom, justice, and the American way and he got Franz Kafka and Goldman Sachs', said Kevin Marino, the lawyer for Sergey Aleynikov, the former programmer.

The New York Times reports that on Thursday, Aleynikov pleaded not guilty to the state charges. He appeared at his arraignment before Justice Ronald A. Zweibel after a New York State grand jury handed up an indictment earlier this week. The Manhattan district attorney’s office arrested Aleynikov this summer, accusing him of stealing proprietary software for Goldman’s high-frequency trading business as he was leaving to join a hedge fund.

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Lawyer for Ex-Goldman Programmer Criticizes Prosecutors and Firm

Reuters reports that Aleynikov was arrested in August and charged by New York state prosecutors, six months after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned his 2010 federal conviction on charges tied to the same conduct.

Aleynikov had served nearly one year of an eight-year prison sentence before the appeals court ordered him released. If convicted in state court, Aleynikov could face up to four years in prison.

His conviction was reversed in part because the appeals court said the Justice Department failed to show that the stolen code was intended for 'interstate commerce', a necessary element under the federal Economic Espionage Act.

Aleynikov entered a plea of not guilty Thursday to two counts of unlawful use of secret scientific material and one count of unlawful duplication of computer-related material.

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Ex-Goldman programmer rejects plea deal with NY - lawyer