Lo also has been charged with a related money laundering count that carries a maximum penalty of an additional 20 years. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on Feb. 29. Prosecutors said that Lo attempted to leave the country Feb. 12 with a Radiance HS infrared camera and two lenses from Raytheon Sensors and Electronic Systems in El Segundo, which he had bought from an undercover FBI agent.
Licenses are specific to the particular model and to the destination.
Lo offered no explanation for his actions, nor did he express any indication that the camera would be used for a civilian application, prosecutors said. He reportedly told the undercover agent that he was purchasing it for Chinese State Ship building Corp., a state-owned conglomerate of 58 companies that is based in Beijing and Shanghai. It was obvious to us that it would be used for military applications. Prosecutors noted that the camera is suitable for target acquisition and tracking and for missile guidance systems. Raytheon markets the device for numerous commercial, industrial and scientific applications, including combustion research, rotating equipment analysis and nondestructive materials testing.