Bail Set at $100,000 for Suspect in China Arms Smuggling

A federal magistrate set bail Tuesday at $100,000 for a man accused of trying to smuggle restricted military equipment into China, despite the objections of authorities who contend that he is a flight risk.

But U.S. Magistrate Judge George Swartz stayed bail for Jeffrey Jhyfang Lo, 52, of Cypress, for three days to allow prosecutors to appeal his decision.

After his bail hearing in federal court, Lo was sent back to the federal Metropolitan Detention Center. He has been held there since his arrest Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport as he was about to board a flight to China.

Assistant U.S. Atty. David Vaughn told the magistrate that Lo was a flight risk with extensive ties to his native China and Taiwan, including a business office in China. Vaughn also alleged that Lo had been trying to obtain other U.S. military technology on behalf of the Chinese government.

When Lo was arrested, his checked baggage contained what authorities said was a sophisticated infrared thermal imaging camera and two lenses used in missile guidance and reconnaissance systems.

Authorities allege that, based on a seven-month investigation, Lo was working at the direction of a Chinese corporation linked to the People’s Liberation Army.

Lo, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was charged with violating the Arms Export Control Act. It is legal to buy the confiscated equipment in the United States, but its export is restricted.