KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the convictions of two east Tennessee men who stole trade secrets from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. so they could fulfill a contract with a Chinese state-run company. Sean Howley and Clark Roberts must be resentenced, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled.

The decision means that Howley and Roberts, former engineers with Wyko Tire Technology, may face stiffer prison time in the corporate espionage case. Both men were sentenced to house confinement and probation.