Former Auburn Staffer Charged With Trade Secrets Theft

David Rudolph Jenrath, 24, was booked into Lee County Jail on Monday after turning himself in to Auburn police on charges of theft of trade secrets and felony computer tampering. Police documents accuse him of taking computer programs and data "with the intent to harass Auburn University Athletics by disclosing trade secrets of Auburn University Athletics to their opponents." Reports citing sources say Jenrath was retained by coach Alex Golesh's staff in January and fired in the spring. He allegedly used a pseudonym email "Don Julio" to share 10 documents with personnel information and coaches' evaluations of recruits for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 classes with up to 11 rival schools. The email subject line included Golesh's home address; the material did not include game plans. Police investigated the anonymous emails for at least two months and identified Jenrath after one competitor returned the information to Auburn. He is held on a $15,000 bond. The allegations have not been resolved in court, and Auburn has not publicly commented.