BATON ROUGE - Two former employees of the Water Institute of the Gulf were indicted Wednesday for trying to steal trade secrets from the organization.

According to the Department of Justice, Ehab Meselhe and Kelin Hu were both indicted for conspiracy to steal trade secrets, attempting to steal trade secrets, and conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse. Hu was also charged with committing computer fraud and abuse.

The DOJ says the two allegedly tried to steal information on a highly protected computer program from the Baton Rouge-based institute. The program projects how the natural environment of the Mississippi Delta will change over time.

The pair allegedly coordinated a plan to download trade secrets to personal electronic devices in an attempt to profit off the tech. Records say Hu was downloading the files, at Meselhe's request, when he was caught in the act.

Both pleaded not guilty to the charges.