A Chinese student recently pleaded guilty to photographing military aircraft at a base in Nebraska and claimed he was taking the pictures for his personal collection.
Tianrui Liang, 21, was arrested on April 7 at John F Kennedy International Airport as he was preparing to board a plane to Frankfurt, Germany, on his way to Glasgow, Scotland, where he is a student at the University of Glasgow.
About a week earlier on March 31, he was caught photographing planes on the ground at Offutt Air Base, which is just south of Omaha, Nebraska, according to the prosecution at Liang's plea hearing last week.
The Lincoln Journal Star reported the hearing's proceedings, which took place in the US District Court of Nebraska.
The student was using a telescopic lens from a public road east of the base's perimeter, and he managed to take photos of RC-135 and E-4B aircraft, Assistant US Attorney Matt Lierman added.
Both models are Boeing-manufactured planes. The RC-135 is a reconnaissance aircraft, and the E-4B is a modified Boeing 747-200 that serves as a mobile command center.
Personnel at the base spotted Liang taking the photos, and an FBI special agent went to question him on the side of the road.
The student admitted to taking the pictures and knowing that it was illegal to do so. He said that they were for his personal collection and that he is into the airplane spotting hobby.
A 21-year-old Chinese student named Tianrui Liang has pleaded guilty to taking photos of military aircraft parked at Offutt Air Base in Nebraska (pictured)
Liang took photos of an E-4B, which is a modified Boeing 747-200 that serves as a mobile command center. An E-4B is pictured in flight
Liang also took photos of an RC-135, which is a reconnaissance aircraft. An RC-135 is pictured in flight
Liang surrendered his iPhone and Canon camera to the FBI, which discovered several photos of planes parked at Offutt Air Base. He also handed over other electronics, including a drone.
The student was appointed a federal public defender named Jeffrey Thomas, who asked Magistrate Judge Michael Nelson to expedite Liang's sentencing hearing, which is currently scheduled for June 18.
Liang has already been in jail for 30 days, which has threatened his academic career, Thomas argued.
The public defender added that his client has no criminal record and that the judge already has a breadth of evidence which should enable him to determine what Liang's sentence should be.
Federal guidelines recommend zero to six months in jail and a fine of up to $100,000 as punishment for violating the federal statute prohibiting photography of military aircraft.
Lierman, the prosecutor, argued that Liang's actions represented a national security risk and that expediting the sentencing hearing would be irresponsible. 'We don't have the full picture here,' he told the judge, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
The prosecutor added that the evidence in the case was mostly self-reported by Liang and that a pre-sentence investigation to verify it must be conducted.
There is no way to be certain that Liang is the innocuous student who was on spring break and likes airplane spotting without conducting an investigation, Lierman said.
The prosecution argued that Liang's actions presented a national security risk and that his claims that he is a student who was taking photos for his personal collection must be investigated. A squadron of RC-135s parked at Offut Air Base is pictured
Liang's public defender argued that enemies of the US have satellites that can provide pictures of US military bases, and taking photos from the ground is outdated. A satellite image of Offut Air Base is pictured
Thomas, the public defender, countered that the federal statute his client was arrested for violating was enacted in the 1950s and is a relic of the space race with the Soviet Union.
He argued that adversaries of the United States have sophisticated satellites that can provide images of military bases, and taking photos from the ground is an outdated espionage strategy that presents little risk in comparison.
The public defender added that 'in 1950, the statute certainly wasn't crazy,' but even at the time, violating it was considered a misdemeanor, and it is even 'less of a misdemeanor' today.
He also noted that his client has been into airplane spotting since 2020, when Liang would have been 15 years old.
The prosecution conceded that enemies of the US certainly use satellites for espionage, but that 'if satellites answered all of the questions, with respect to our adversaries, we wouldn't need human intelligence. We know that's not true.'
Lierman said that Liang should remain in custody until his sentencing hearing while the pre-sentencing investigation unfolds.
The judge agreed with the prosecution and said that the information Liang provided to law enforcement provided more questions than answers, that the sentencing hearing would not be expedited and that the student would remain in custody until then.