Two More Chinese Nationals Arrested At Key West Navy Base
KEY WEST (CBSMiami/AP) - And then there were four.
Over the weekend, two more Chinese nationals were arrested for illegally taking pictures at the Naval Air Station in Key West.
The arrests of Yuhao Wang and Jielun Zhang bring to four the number of Chinese people charged recently with snapping pictures at the base.
An FBI affidavit says Wang and Zhang drove up to an air station annex entrance and were told by a security officer they could not enter the property without military identification. The FBI says the pair drove onto the base anyway and were apprehended by authorities about 30 minutes later after taking photos of structures on the base.
The two had an initial court appearance on Monday and have bail hearings Friday in Key West federal court.
The arrests follow two similar cases involving Chinese nationals taking photos at the Key West base. On Dec. 26, Lyuyou Liao was charged with illegally taking pictures at another annex of the Naval Air Station.
Police body cam video shows the 27-year-old being booked into jail. His lawyer said he never intended to trespass. He said Liao was on vacation taking pictures and that evidence of any crime is thin.
Liao is charged with entering a military property to take pictures of the installations. A judge ruled that he will remain in custody for now.
A fourth Chinese man, Zhao Qianli, pleaded guilty last year to illegally taking photographs at the same Florida Keys installation. Qianli, 20, was sentenced to a year in federal prison.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)