On the other hand, had he used a conspirator within the old company use the postal service to mail over a paper-based list he could easily have been charged wit

On the other hand, had he used a conspirator within the old company use the postal service to mail over a paper-based list he could easily have been charged with mail fraud, which occurs whenever the postal system is used in furtherance of a criminal act... any criminal act. Theft of trade secrets, even for purely corporate-interest reasons, has been a crime in the U.S. since 1996.