Chinese man admits plot to import missiles to US

[Desertdog]

Chinese man admits plot to import missiles to US
http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...285507_RTRUKOC_0_US-CRIME-MISSILES.xml&rpc=22


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Chinese national living in Southern California admitted on Wednesday trying to arrange the sale from China to the United States of 200 shoulder-fired missiles that can be used to bring down airplanes.

Chao Tung Wu, 51, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to conspiring to import the missiles for a buyer who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.

When Wu was indicted in November along with another man, Yi Qing Chen, they became the first people charged under a 2004 U.S. law forbidding the import of aircraft-destroying missile systems into the United States, officials said.

Wu, who also admitted to trafficking methamphetamine, counterfeit bills, cigarettes and Ecstasy tablets into the United States, made a plea bargain with U.S. prosecutors in hopes of reducing a possible 25-year prison term.

The indictment identifies the missiles as the QW-2 shoulder-fired type used by the Chinese military since the late 1990s. According to court papers, the undercover FBI agent was told the missiles would be shipped from China to Cambodia and then to the United States with the help of bribed officials.

However, the third-party country was later switched to Paraguay. The missiles were never delivered.

Wu is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31. Chen is awaiting trial.

 

[longeyes]

Just another zesty entrepreneur.

By the way, is he here legally?

 

[Ira Aten]

Longeyes, let's hope this jerk is here legally, and naturalized as a United States citizen. That way, they can also try him for treason, and hopefully hang him.

If he is not here legally, then we have the usual media circus, clammoring about holding him "Unconstitutionally" and depriving him of his rights.

 

[Henry Bowman]

200 shoulder-fired missiles that can be used to bring down airplanes.

Sarah Brady said I could buy these at any flea market or one of them gun shows. Why bother going to China? Those must have been headed for Wal-Mart.

 

[ArmedBear]

Look, you xenophobes. He just came to the US in search of better opportunities than he could possibly find in his place of birth.

In China, these businesses are not nearly as profitable, and if you get caught engaging in them, you just get a bullet in your head. He really couldn't continue to live under those conditions, so he came to the US.

 

[American By Blood]

He's doing a job that real Americans won't.

 

[LAR-15]

"When Wu was indicted in November along with another man, Yi Qing Chen, they became the first people charged under a 2004 U.S. law forbidding the import of aircraft-destroying missile systems into the United States, officials said."

Uh MANPADs (portable man launched missles) were classified as DDs in 1968 and banned from import then.

Congress did not know that??

 

[Standing Wolf]

Wu, who also admitted to trafficking methamphetamine, counterfeit bills, cigarettes and Ecstasy tablets into the United States...

He was just trying to make a better life for himself.

 

[Silver Bullet]

He's 2 1/2 years too early. The next administration will make excuses for him.

 

[asknight]

LAR-15, certainly they did. Most Congressmen are lawyers. The super-secret "How to be a lawyer, For Dummies" says that there must be 500 laws governing each action a human can make. That way, if they can't hang you on one, they can on another. Also, since he violated countless laws, he can be assessed the penalty for each crime. Turning one offense into a conviction on numerous laws. He'll end up with a penalty something to the effect of 5yrs(1st law broken) + 15yrs (2nd law) + 5yrs(3rd law) + 10yrs(4th law) - 10 years for helping the .fed nail the next guy in the import chain. It's all about keeping it so complicated that you have to hire a lawyer who does nothing but study law books to work the case. Law is like a game of chess.

Technically, where is the crime here, though? No missles were imported. Where's the physical evidence? He could have just been trying to de-fraud the bloodthirsty murdering bastard that wanted to buy the missles. Anyone who would buy anti-aircraft missles certainly isn't an honest, upstanding citizen. So the .fed agent had to impersonate a bloodthirsty ner-do-well and bribe the guy into at least saying he would get them imported. Wasn't that considered entrapment, pre Patriot Act? Ah well, we'll have to let the lawyers for the prosecution prove his intent and his illegal action and hopefully the jury will either find him guilty or not guilty beyond a reasonable shadow of a doubt.

 

[Kamicosmos]

Anyone who would buy anti-aircraft missles certainly isn't an honest, upstanding citizen.

As a member of the American Association of Anti-Aircraft MissileMen, I have to disagree here....



Seriously though, I wonder if this is yet another case of the Gov entrapping someone into doing a crime, like Randy Weaver? But, with the mention of the drug trafficing, I assume this particular case is legit.