Three Chinese nationals were sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to illegally taking photographs of a US navy base in Key West Florida, the Justice Department announced Friday.

Liao Lyuyou, 27, was sentenced to a year in federal prison after being arrested on December 26, 2019 at the Naval Air Station Key West and found with photographs and video footage of buildings and facilities, including "vital military equipment," of the base, according to the US attorney in the Florida southern district.

In a separate case, Zhang Jielun, 25, and Wang Yuhao, 24, were given one-year and nine-month prison sentences respectively for illegally entering and taking pictures of parts of the same base on January 4, including a residential area for navy personnel.

Neither statement gave details on the background of the individuals, nor did they allege they were involved in espionage.

But they stressed that the Chinese were not acting as regular tourists in the popular south Florida city.

Liao snuck into one part of the sprawling base by crossing rocks on a waterline to get around a fence.

Zhang and Wang rejected a guard's warning to turn their car around and not enter another part of the base. They drove into the area, stopped their car and shot pictures before being detained.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

USS Ford still has major technical problems, says GAO report
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 04, 2020
The USS Gerald Ford, the U.S. Navy's new, supercarrier still has major technical problems in two of its systems, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. "Despite maturing its critical technologies, the Navy is still struggling to demonstrate the reliability of key systems, including the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS); Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG); and dual band radar (DBR)," said the report, which was released this week. Intended to replace t ... read more