A former vice president of research and development at Qualcomm who was convicted of scheming to defraud the San Diego tech giant out of $180 million was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison.

Karim Arabi, 59, was found guilty of hiding his role in the invention of a new microchip technology, as well as his part in a start-up company that sold the technology to Qualcomm.

Prosecutors said Arabi's employment agreement held that any inventions he created would belong to Qualcomm, while Arabi's attorneys have argued that provision in his employment agreement was not enforceable under California law.

The technology sold to Qualcomm was purportedly invented by Arabi's sister, Sheida Alan, but prosecutors alleged Arabi was the true inventor and also impersonated his sister in communication

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