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A Chinese student on Monday pleaded
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guilty to snapping photos of a US Navy
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shipyard with a drone. Inside the
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device, the FBI found photos and videos
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of sensitive US naval vessels. Some of
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construction. Chief Yian is a graduate
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student from the University of
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Minnesota. Prosecutors said he flew a
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drone near the Newport News shipyard in
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Virginia this January. This shipyard
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makes highly classified Navy aircraft
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carriers and nuclear submarines.
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Authorities said she violated the
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Espionage Act. The law bans individuals
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from taking photos of military
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installations. How did Ashi get caught?
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An affidavit says his drone got stuck in
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a local resident's tree. He later
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approached the resident for help and the
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neighbor reported him to the police. She
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has been released on bond and is
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awaiting sentencing in Virginia. He
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could face up to two years in prison and
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up to $200,000 in fines. She's case
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comes as US military bases have
1:02
intercepted a growing number of Chinese
1:04
nationals posing as tourists. This
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March, an illegal Chinese immigrant was
1:09
arrested after breaching a Marine Corps
1:11
base in California. In 2019, a Chinese
1:15
student was sentenced to a year behind
1:17
bars for taking photos at the same
1:19
military base. The student Jaoian Lee
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was 20 years old. His lawyer said he was
1:25
a tourist that got lost. But Jiao's
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camera and cell phone only had photos
1:30
taken at the military base stored on
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them. The US is moving to keep a closer
1:36
watch on land deals near sensitive
1:38
military sites. This comes as growing
1:40
concerns regarding Chinese land
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purchases around sensitive facilities.
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The Treasury Department said it had
1:46
proposed a new rule Monday. It would add
1:49
over 50 military sites under a
1:51
government agency's watch called CPHAS.
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It reviews land purchases near sensitive
1:56
US military sites. It can block deals if
1:59
it thinks the transaction could threaten
2:01
US national security. In May, US barred
2:05
a Chinese-owned crypto firm from using
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land around a US nuclear missile base.
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That's out of espionage concerns.
