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Ontario Student Accused of Working for Chinese Official Pleads Not Guilty in U.S.
Prosecutors say he accepted paid photo tasks for a suspected Chinese government contact and later gave conflicting accounts to federal agents.
- On Monday, University of Waterloo student Weiheng Zeng pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court to making false statements to federal agents during a border crossing interrogation.
- Federal authorities arrested Zeng in August at the Michigan border following an FBI counter-intelligence investigation triggered by security video showing him photographing aircraft at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in April.
- Zeng admitted accepting paid "taskings" from an unidentified "Chinese contact," receiving $20-30 US per photograph of aircraft. He used burner SIM cards mailed every four to five months to destroy evidence.
- Prosecutor Alyse Wu characterized the allegations as involving "espionage-type activities." Magistrate Judge Anthony P. Patti scheduled a bond hearing for next week.
- Zeng's sister Meixuan Wang wrote, "If my brother is a Chinese spy, then I'm Trump's father," while the Chinese Embassy opposed the "China spy threat." Allegations remain untested in court.
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Winnipeg Free Press+28 Reposted by 28 other sources
Ontario student accused of working for Chinese official pleads not guilty in U.S.
An Ontario student accused of working for someone he believed to be a Chinese government official has pleaded not guilty in the United States to making false statements.
·Winnipeg, Canada
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Ontario university student pleads not guilty in U.S. court amid Chinese 'espionage' probe
An Ontario university student has pleaded not guilty in a U.S. federal court in a case a prosecutor described as involving "espionage-type activities." Weiheng (Billy) Zeng is charged with making false statements following an FBI counter-intelligence investigation.
·Ottawa, Canada
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Total News Sources30
Leaning Left21Leaning Right0Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution72% Left
Bias Distribution
- 72% of the sources lean Left
72% Left
L 72%
C 28%
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