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Four Admit Sale of Electronics to China
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Four people who operated an electronics firm pleaded guilty Tuesday to illegally shipping nearly $400,000 in items that could be used for military purposes to entities controlled by the Chinese government.Manten Electronics Inc. president Xu Weibo, 38, and three co-defendants each pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiring to violate export laws. All four are naturalized U.S. citizens from China. They admitted they lied to U.S. distributors and on shipping documents to conceal the shipments. The conspiracy charge carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice any profits.
Among the restricted items Manten obtained was an electronics component that is used in a variety of weapons systems and is found on U.S. bombers, fighter aircraft, military helicopters, missiles and satellites, according to court papers. The four people at Manten, as well as four people at Universal Technologies Inc. in Mount Laurel, were arrested in 2004 following an 18-month investigation by the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Commerce Department. Prosecutors have reached plea deals with the Universal defendants but the agreements have not yet been formalized, Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith H. Germano said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it has seen a dramatic increase in shipments of sensitive technology and weapons components to China. Since January 2000, the agency has launched more than 400 investigations into illegal technology and arms exports to China. Posted by: Steve White 2005-09-14 |
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