A South Florida jury convicted a California woman of conspiring to send a $50 million missile-firing drone and jet fighter engines to China via Broward County.
According to prosecutors, Man, who runs a small electronics store, worked with a Chinese military agent to export the drone and several fighter jet engines, which are subject to strict export controls. Man faces up to 20 years in prison for violating the Arms Export Control Act.
Wenxia Man, aka Wency, 45, of San Diego, was found guilty of conspiring to export military weapons, equipment and technical data to the People’s Republic of China.
Man, who had been free on $250,000 bond since last year, was taken into custody for alleged misconduct during her trial in federal court in Miami.
Authorities accused her of improperly sending text messages to the federal agent who worked under cover on her case. The messages, in Mandarin Chinese, were not deemed threatening but were sent during an overnight break in the agent’s trial testimony last week, records show.
The agent, from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations, reported the improper contact and U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered Man taken into custody.
One of the conditions of Man’s pre-trial release on bond was that she have no contact with any of the witnesses and the judge ruled she had violated that order.
No translation of the text messages was available Friday.
Prosecutor Michael Walleisa told jurors that Man conspired with a man who is based in China and works for the military, to illegally acquire and export military defense equipment, including a $50 million drone and several jet fighter engines to the government of China. Man called her contact a “technology spy” who was interested in stealth technology.
Man was communicating with an undercover agent who said he worked for a fictitious company in Broward County and she thought he could obtain the items, which are part of the U.S. arms embargo against China, according to the allegations.
Her lawyer, Alex Strassman, said Friday that he plans to ask the judge to throw out the jury verdict and find Man not guilty.
Man, who ran a family business with her husband that produces small electronic components used in cell phones and some radio devices, had asked an “industry source” if a certain type of jet fighter engine would be problematic to export, Strassman said. That person reported her to federal authorities and an undercover investigation was launched.
“It was our position that there was no conspiracy and that she was entrapped,” Strassman said. “It was pretty clear what would have happened if the government would have left her alone. Nothing more would have happened.”
Man, who was born in China but is a naturalized U.S. citizen, faces a maximum possible punishment of 20 years in federal prison for violating the Arms Export Control Act when she is sentenced later this year.
Source: Sun Sentinel