Homeland Security Stopped Operation Through Undercover Investigation

Two people attempted to acquire and export an MQ-9 Reaper and several advanced military engines to China, according to court documents unsealed in Florida last week.

Defense News reports that Wenxia "Wency" Man and Xinsheng Zhang had targeted not only the UAV, but an F135 engine, a Pratt & Whitney F119 engine, and a GEF110 engine.

Man was arrested September 1. She has been a U.S. citizen since 2006, but was born in China. She was the vice president of a family run company based in San Diego, CA that makes advanced capacitors for export. Her husband Yingkuang "William" Liang, reportedly knew what she was doing, but was not arrested, according to the report. The court documents said that Liang had told his wife that the person she was working with "was probably an undercover agent or the FBI."

It is believed that Zhang is in China and is listed as a "fugitive." According to the court documents, Zhang is "an official agent for procurement of arms, munitions, implements of war, and defense articles on behalf of the People's Republic of China."

The documents quote Man saying that Zhang is a "technology spy that procures information from Russia and other places so that China can obtain sophisticated technology without having to conduct its own research."

The undercover operation began in 2011, according to the report. Details of the operation were not released.

The Orlando Sun Sentinel reports that Man has pleaded "not guilty" to federal charges of weapons brokering. She and Zhang reportedly discussed a payment of $50 million for the military hardware.

The case is being heard in Florida because Man had contacted people in Broward County that she thought would be helpful in making the deal, but they were actually undercover witnesses and Homeland Security agents, according to the court records.

If convicted, Man, 44, faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.25 million.

(Image provided by the Broward County Sheriff's Office)

FMI: www.justice.gov