Sentence Will Come Wednesday In GM Secrets Case

DETROIT (AP) - A court hearing to determine the sentence for a Detroit-area couple convicted of stealing General Motors hybrid technology has been extended to Wednesday.

Detroit federal Judge Marianne Battani heard arguments for 90 minutes on many issues Tuesday. But after the clock struck 5 p.m., she said the hearing would resume Wednesday.

Ex-GM engineer Shanshan Du and her husband, Yu Qin (chin), were convicted last fall of conspiracy and possessing trade secrets without approval. The government says they were trying to strike a deal with a competitor in China before the FBI intervened.

Du was accused of copying GM hybrid documents, especially in 2005 when she got a severance offer from the automaker. Defense attorney Frank Eaman says the couple had just a "small slice" of the technology.

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