Ex-Home Depot store manager charged with leaking secrets to vendor

Atlanta A former Home Depot manager is facing federal charges that he shared the Atlanta-based retail giant's trade secrets with a potential vendor, the Associated Press reported.

Guillermo Martinez was charged Thursday with one count of theft of trade secrets after prosecutors say he tried to give the unnamed vendor an unfair advantage.

Prosecutors say in court filings that Martinez was a senior manager in the company's product engineering department responsible for assisting vendors who sought to sell products to the company.

They say he gave the vendor "confidential and proprietary pricing information" from Home Depot during a product review in May 2008, including the price the retail giant was paying the vendor's competitors.

Court documents show a $5,000 bond was set for Martinez. Martinez's attorney did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.