Atlanta, May 23:

A former Coca-Cola secretary convicted of conspiring to steal trade secrets from the world’s lar-gest beverage maker was sentenced today to eight years in federal prison.

Joya Williams, 42, had faced up to 10 years in prison on the single conspiracy charge in a failed scheme to sell the materials to rival Pepsi for at least $1.5 million. She was convicted on February 2 following a jury trial in US District Court in Atlanta, where The Coca-Cola Co is based.

“This is the kind of offense that cannot be tolerated in our society,” US District Judge J Owen Forrester said in imposing sentence.