Chinese man gets prison for buying U.S. military technology

A Chinese man has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for buying military-grade night vision goggles used by U.S. special operations, an item civilians are typically restricted from buying.

Yang Xin, 36, claimed he was a collector of U.S. military gear, particularly items used by special operations troops, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The investigation, which began in 2014, suggests Xin has bought other equipment and was seeking to buy more, according to court records.

An unidentified “cooperating source” told federal authorities that someone on eBay was trying to buy Ground Panoramic Night Vision Goggles — specialty goggles with two additional lenses on each side to enhance peripheral vision. An undercover agent took over the contact and for more than a year negotiated with Xin. The deal fell through several times until Xin flew on a tourist visa from Hong Kong to Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2016.

He met with the undercover agent at an office building in Del Mar Heights a few days later and completed the transaction for $20,000, according to court records. During the meeting he told the agent he bought similar goggles before and wanted two more, as well as a tactical radio and night vision binoculars, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Xin was arrested minutes later.

The source who tipped off authorities is a broker in the U.S. who was tied to a $1.7 million theft of military equipment from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, according to prosecutors. Evidence from that investigation suggests Xin obtained 15 Advanced Target Pointer/Illuminator Aiming Lasers, also known as LA-5s — a lightweight laser attached to weapons for firing at night, according to an affidavit filed by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego.

Xin allegedly bought the lasers from Steven Paul Browning, a North Carolina man who ended up pleading guilty to unlawfully exporting the stolen gear, according to court records. When Browning was arrested, investigators seized 47 pieces of military equipment from a home.

Such military equipment is controlled by the International Trade in Arms Regulations and can only be sold to licensed dealers with State Department permission.

Xin, from the Guizhou province, pleaded guilty in September to one count of smuggling goods from the United States. He also forfeited $20,000. He was sentenced Monday in San Diego Federal Court.

“We are committed to protecting the sensitive defense technologies that give our warfighters a decisive edge on the battlefield,” said Chris Hendrickson, special agent in charge of the Western Field Office of Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The agency investigated the case alongside Homeland Security Investigations.

(Source : sandiegouniontribune.com)

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