Alleged theft has broad implications

Sergey Aleynikov, a former Goldman Sachs computer programmer, was arrested July 3 after arriving at Liberty International Airport in Newark, US officials said. Aleynikov, 39, who has dual American and Russian citizenship, is charged in a criminal complaint with stealing the trading software.

At a court appearance Saturday in Manhattan, Assistant US Attorney Joseph Facciponti told a federal judge that Aleynikov’s alleged theft poses a risk to US markets. Aleynikov transferred the code, which is worth millions of dollars, to a computer server in Germany, and others may have had access to it, Facciponti said, adding that New York-based Goldman Sachs may be harmed if the software is disseminated.

“The bank has raised the possibility that there is a danger that somebody who knew how to use this program could use it to manipulate markets in unfair ways,’’ Facciponti said. “The copy in Germany is still out there, and we at this time do not know who else has access to it.’’