SoCal Man Convicted In Missile Smuggling Case
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California man has been convicted on a conspiracy charge for attempting to smuggle shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles into the United States.
Yi Qing Chen, a 46-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, was found guilty Wednesday of five felony counts. It is the first guilty verdict in the nation under a 2004 anti-terrorism statute that outlaws the importing of missile systems designed to destroy aircraft.
The statute calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and the possibility of life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors say Chen and Chao Tung Wu met with an undercover agent in 2004 and said they could arrange shipment of the missiles from China. The agent was initially told 200 missiles were available to buy.
Wu pleaded guilty to similar charges in 2006 and died while he awaited sentencing.
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