Woman facing prison for plot to sell $50M drone to China has mental health issues, defense says
When a U.S. citizen is sentenced Friday for conspiring to send a $50 million missile-firing drone and jet fighter engines to China via Broward County, her lawyer says the woman's mental health issues should be considered in selecting an appropriate punishment.
Wenxia Man, aka Wency, 45, of San Diego, was found legally competent to stand trial in federal court in Miami earlier this year. But her lawyer wants U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom to give her a shorter prison term because he says she committed the offense "while suffering from a significantly reduced mental capacity."
Jurors found Man guilty of conspiring to export military weapons, equipment and technical data to the People's Republic of China. The mother of two young children is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in China.
Man conspired with a man she described as a "technology spy" who is based in China and works for the military, to illegally acquire and export military defense equipment to the government of China, prosecutor Michael Walleisa said.
Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-wenxia-man-china-drone-20160819-story.html