Judge orders Chinese former NASA contractor held until trial
NORFOLK, Va., April 16 (UPI) -- Chinese scientist Bo Jiang, charged with lying to federal investigators in Virginia, must remain in custody while he awaits a trial, a judge ruled.
Jiang, 31, a former contract worker at the NASA Langley Research center in Hampton, Va., was arrested March 16 as he attempted to board a plane bound for China. He is charged with lying to agents who questioned him about computer equipment he was carrying, the (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday.
Chief U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith's order to keep Jiang in custody, issued Friday, reverses a previous ruling by Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leonard, who said Jiang could be released and tracked with an electronic monitoring system.
Prosecutors contended Jiang is a flight risk, the newspaper said. His trial is set for May 29.
