Article

2019-02-06 -Lurid Crime Tales-

Chinese student sentenced to one year for taking photos of Key West Naval base

[Miami Herald] Zhao Qianli says he’s a musicology student from China who traveled to the United States for a summer exchange program. After he finished his studies in September, he booked a flight to Miami and then headed for Key West.

But rather than see the Hemingway House and other sights, Qianli got caught by Key West police for trespassing onto the high-security Naval Air Station. He later told federal authorities that he lost his way on the tourist trail and did not realize it was a military base.

Investigators found photos and videos on Qianli’s smartphone as well as on his digital camera that he had taken of government buildings and a Defense Department antenna field on the military base.

Qianli, 20, who is being held in Monroe County Jail, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of photographing defense installations at the Key West military facility and was sentenced to one year in prison by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore. The judge gave him the maximum sentence, which was higher than the sentencing guidelines between zero and six months. The U.S. attorney’s office sought nine months in prison.

Posted by Besoeker 2019-02-06 07:04|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top
File under: Commies

#1 Do that in China and you will spend more than 1 year in jail.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2019-02-06 07:13|| 2019-02-06 07:13|| Front Page Top

#2 Frank Booth in Blue Velvet: "You're a neighbor, huh? From the neighborhood?"

Posted by M. Murcek 2019-02-06 09:04|| 2019-02-06 09:04|| Front Page Top

#3 More to the point. A Huawei smartphone? Calling home to interplanetary chinee hq in real time as the pictures and videos were taken? Inquiring minds want to know...

Posted by M. Murcek 2019-02-06 09:07|| 2019-02-06 09:07|| Front Page Top

#4 Back in 2012, due to insomnia and jet lag, I found myself wandering around Tienanmen Square at 6am, where there were about 200 soldiers/police in a rectangular formation resolutely standing off maybe 2,000 protesters. I have no idea what they were protesting about. I instinctively started taking pictures, then put my camera away after 5 seconds or so after realizing they probably had 10 more cameras on me, than I did on them, and skulked away. Some things are just none of your d*mn business. I don't know what that was, but it struck me as one of those things.

So, yeah, #1, don't do that in China. I took a few innocent/instinctive pix and was scared to death for the rest of my visit. When you are a guest in a foreign country, be a good guest.

Posted by Beau 2019-02-06 12:19|| 2019-02-06 12:19|| Front Page Top

#5 And yes, #3, it's a good bet those pictures were transmitted to China before the spy was caught.

Might wanna rethink our visa policies with regard to Chinese "tourists"...or Chinese in general for that matter.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2019-02-06 13:10|| 2019-02-06 13:10|| Front Page Top

#6 how do you just stumble onto a military base

Posted by chris 2019-02-06 16:12|| 2019-02-06 16:12|| Front Page Top

#7 #6 it happens. Many are not marked, at least here in China. I have a friend who rode a bicycle around the earth (Words added for the link to hold onto to at 11:15 p.m. ET) and he managed to stumble on one in China. Nothing awful happened but he spent a few hours being questioned.

Posted by Beau 2019-02-06 19:34|| 2019-02-06 19:34|| Front Page Top

#8 Not sure what happened to my link. Search 'Terning' (title of his book), and Sam Gambier (author).

Posted by Beau 2019-02-06 19:36|| 2019-02-06 19:36|| Front Page Top

#9 You forgot to type some text for the link to hold onto, Beau, so I went in and added them.

Posted by trailing wife 2019-02-06 23:15|| 2019-02-06 23:15|| Front Page Top

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