2 Chinese men plead guilty to photographing US Navy base

KEY WEST, Fla. – Two Chinese men pleaded guilty Tuesday to illegally taking photographs at a Florida Navy base.

Court records show Jielun Zhang and Yuhao Wang, both 24, pleaded guilty in federal court in Key West to a single count of illegally photographing a U.S. defence installation.

They could get up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Sentencing is set for May 11.

An FBI affidavit says Wang and Zhang drove up to a Key West Naval Air Station annex entrance on Jan. 4 and were told by a security officer they could not enter the property without military identification. But the FBI says the two drove onto the base anyway and started taking pictures before they were stopped and arrested.

Since 2018, four Chinese nationals have been caught taking pictures of portions of Key West military bases.

One of them, Lyuyou Liao, 27, pleaded guilty in February to taking photos of the Navy’s Truman Annex in downtown Key West on Dec. 26. He also faces up to a year in prison and fines when sentenced in May.