Chinese-born men deny missile-smuggling conspiracy

Two men pleaded not guilty to federal charges of conspiring to smuggle shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles into the United States for use abroad.

Chao Tung Wu, 51, and Yi Qing Chen, 41, are both naturalised US citizens born in China, according to Los Angeles authorities.

The men are accused of agreeing to arrange shipment of the missiles from a country not named in the indictment.

Authorities have said the alleged conspiracy did not involve domestic terrorism, and the men were told by an undercover agent the missiles would be sent abroad.

Chen’s lawyer Terrence Roden said outside the court that the case was “seriously overcharged” and no weapons were exchanged.

Wu’s lawyer Gerson Horn questioned the government’s case, which he says alleges a conspiracy “conceived, nurtured and orchestrated by the undercover agent”.

The US attorney’s office has said the charges against Wu, of La Puente, and Chen, of Rosemead, mark the first time a 2004 anti-terrorism law has been used.

The law calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years if convicted.