Stealing trade secrets are a violation of the terms of employment. It is a kind of a breach of contract.
These matters are addressed by the injured party suing the malefactor` aren't they? Unless the theft involves a foreign power, why should the government be involved? Is transfer of a concept the same as absconding with, say a truckload of office furniture and computer equipment or stealing money?
It scares me that a company like Google can enlist the federal government to prosecute former employees over something I've always understood to be the company's responsibility to safeguard.