SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Sergey Aleynikov, a former computer programmer at Goldman Sachs (GS 159.96, +4.21, +2.70%) , was sentenced Friday in Manhattan federal court to 97 months in prison for stealing computer code from the investment bank. A jury in Manhattan federal court found him guilty of theft of trade secrets and interstate transportation of stolen property charges on Dec. 10. The code was part of computer programs that supported Goldman's proprietary high-frequency trading in commodities and equity markets. "Protecting the proprietary information of America's companies is critically important," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. "Today's sentence sends a clear message that professionals like Sergey Aleynikov who abuse their positions of trust to steal confidential business information from their employers will be prosecuted and punished." Bharara also thanked Goldman Sachs for its cooperation in the investigation.
