Federal prosecutors charged three people on Wednesday with stealing confidential information from The Coca-Cola Co. - including a sample of a new drink - and trying to sell it to rival PepsiCo Inc.

The three, who include an executive administrative assistant at Coke, were charged with wire fraud along with stealing and selling trade secrets. Federal prosecutors say the trio sought to sell the information in deals worth as much as $1.5 million.

Federal prosecutors said they learned of the theft from Pepsi, which provided authorities with a letter from an individual claiming to be a high-level Coca-Cola employee offering "very detailed and confidential information."