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OMAHA, Neb. (CN) — Tianrui Liang, a Chinese citizen who pleaded guilty to photographing military aircraft, must stay in jail as officials investigate his travels before he is sentenced on a misdemeanor charge, Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson said in federal court Thursday.
When the FBI questioned the 21-year-old man found photographing some of America’s most closely-guarded military aircraft in March, they quizzed him about the “circuitous logistics” of his movements, including plans to leave the car he was driving in an airport garage for a friend to retrieve.
Nelson remarked on the details of Liang’s travels before he was spotted outside Offutt Air Force Base in the nearby Omaha suburb of Bellevue.
“The chronology, the narrative, given by defendant … seem nonsensical,” Nelson said. “It may very well be true, but there are certainly more questions than answers at this point.”
Liang pleaded guilty Thursday, after moving on Monday to switch his initial not-guilty plea. His attorney argued sentencing should take place immediately so Liang can continue his university studies in Scotland. Jeffrey L. Thomas of the Federal Public Defender’s office suggested Liang should be sentenced to 0-6 months.
“This is not complicated,” Thomas told Nelson, sitting next to his client, who was shackled in an orange jumpsuit. “Mr. Liang, unlike many defendants that come before the federal court with lengthy criminal histories, he has no record. … Every day is a day that places his academic eligibility and academic career in further jeopardy.”
Prosecutor Matt E. Lierman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Omaha, said the government didn’t have enough information about Liang, aside from his own statements, meaning a full pretrial investigation was needed.
“This is all self-reported, for the most part,” he said. “We’re asking for objective information to be provided. … It’s not going to be an easy report to prepare because we know so little about Mr. Liang.”
“He has extensive travel, not just throughout the United States, but throughout the world,” Lierman said. “We don’t have the full picture here.”
Nelson agreed, saying sentencing could not be carried out without a full investigation. The judge noted that while Liang admitted to violating a federal law barring the photographing or sketching of defense installations, a Class A misdemeanor, and had been found guilty, he has no known link to Nebraska.
“The court has limited information in regards to his family ties, or his ties to other countries,” Nelson said.
Authorities arrested Liang at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on April 7, where he drove after being interviewed by the FBI in Nebraska.
Liang was initially released, but authorities successfully appealed and took him into custody again on April 10.
In its criminal complaint, which cited a witness, the FBI said a man was seen outside Offutt Air Force Base with planes on the runway. In addition to the headquarters, the base is home to some of America’s most sensitive command-and-control aircraft.
Base security and Air Force investigators responded and found Liang with a camera equipped with a telescopic lens. After learning he had a Chinese passport, they called the FBI.
Prior to the incident, Liang had also visited a base in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he hoped to photograph B-1 bombers, authorities say. They say he also planned to visit a base near Oklahoma City.
In the complaint, authorities say they pressed Liang on the details of his travels, which began after he met a friend in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The pair drove to Billings, Montana, where the friend caught a flight to New York. Liang planned to leave the car in Kansas City, then travel to Dallas and also fly to New York. He told investigators it made more sense for the friend to pick the car up in Kansas City. He admitted to photographing military planes at Offutt, including an RC-135 and an E-4B.
After the initial interview, Liang consented to a search of his phone and camera. Authorities say the camera contained several pictures of the Offutt flightline.
In court Thursday, Thomas described his client as an avid photographer of airplanes, with more photos taken in China than any other country. Since 2020, he has “obsessively engaged in the hobby of airplane spotting,” Thomas said. His behavior, “though it is not to be excused … is appropriately viewed in that context.”
In a motion waiving his right to a Mandarin interpreter, Liang said he was an aeronautical engineering student at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He said he began learning English in China at age 8.
Lierman said when authorities arrested Liang at JFK, he had two laptop computers and an external hard drive, and that a drone he had in Nebraska was used more than Liang said during FBI questioning.
Thomas said his client purchased the laptops and hard drive because the feds had confiscated his electronics in Nebraska. He also pointed out that the statute his client is being prosecuted under dates to the Truman administration, before satellites could photograph aircraft from space.
Essentially arguing that China didn’t need his client’s photographs, he said the country already has more than 500 spy satellites, citing U.S. Space Force data.
Lierman said satellites can’t necessarily tell aircraft configuration and direction of travel, which is what the statute is designed to protect against. “This is a serious offense that has national security implications,” he told the judge.
Liang faces the possibility of a year’s incarceration and a $100,000 fine, among other potential penalties. Nelson did not set a sentencing date but said he would meet with probation officials to discuss expediting the pretrial investigation.
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