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一位名叫邓雨棚(音译)的51岁中国男子因创建假冒美军部队于周二被捕。这名男子以获取美国国籍等移民好处为诱饵,欺诈他人加入。
据当局透露,他给了他的“新兵”军服,让他们在洛杉矶市郊受阅,带他们到作为博物馆开放的退役航空母舰中途岛号参观。
根据洛杉矶地方检察官办公室披露的数据,邓向超过100名加入假部队的中国公民收取了300至450美元的费用。
他称他的假部队为特种预备队(U.S. Army/Military Special Forces Reserve unit),简称MSFR,还给自己起了一个“最高司令”的称号。 除此之外,邓姓男子还敦促“新兵”支付更多费用换取高级军衔,并提供假文件和假身份证给他们。
据悉, 他将以盗窃,欺骗和伪造政府文件与正式的官方印章被控罪。如果被定罪,将面临长达八年徒刑。法庭定于周三对案件开展传讯,并将保释金额设为50万美元。
地区检察官办公室的发言人拒绝评论邓如何被抓获,“所有的细节和证据,将在初步聆讯,”她说。
这哥们儿胆子真大:中国男子在美国建立“假军队”被捕
A foreign national has to first become a US citizen before they can join the US military. Picture; Wu Xin, originally from Guilin in China's Guanxi province, pledges the Oath of Allegiance to become a US navy soldier on USS Ronald Reagan in 2008. (File Photo/CNS)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A Chinese man was arrested on Tuesday for creating a fake U.S. Army unit and selling immigrants on the idea that joining the squad was a path to citizenship, authorities said.
Yupeng Deng, 51, allegedly gave his "recruits" military uniforms, had them parade in a Los Angeles suburb and took them to the decommissioned USS Midway aircraft carrier, which is a museum in San Diego.
Deng charged more than 100 fellow Chinese nationals a fee of between $300 and $450 to join the fake Army unit, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.
He called his bogus squad the U.S. Army/Military Special Forces Reserve unit, or MSFR for short, and he gave himself the lofty title of "supreme commander," prosecutors said.
Aside from telling recruits that belonging to the unit was a path to U.S. citizenship, Deng also urged them to pay him cash for higher military rank, according to prosecutors.
He also allegedly provided them with fake documents and phony military identification cards.
Deng, a resident of the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte, was arrested on Tuesday by sheriff's deputies.
He was charged with theft by false pretenses, manufacturing deceptive government documents and counterfeit of an official government seal.
Deng faces up to eight years in prison if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, and is being held on $500,000 bail.
Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, declined to comment on how Deng was caught.
"All the details and evidence will come out in a preliminary hearing," she said.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Peter Bohan)
邦调查局和国防部联手数月秘密调查华裔美国志愿后备军组织行动12日清晨收网,艾尔蒙地一名华裔美国志愿后备军组织「最高司令」(Supreme Commander)被捕,保释金50万元,定13日在波莫那高等法院过堂。相关调查行动仍在继续中。
联调局当天清晨7时许展开逮捕行动。被捕的邓玉鹏(Yupeng Deng)51岁,艾尔蒙地居民,其「统帅」的「华裔美军后备役特别行动组织」(U.S Army Special Forces Reserve Unit)位于天普市罗斯密大道的办公室也被查封。
这哥们儿胆子真大:中国男子在美国建立“假军队”被捕
洛杉矶地检署检察官Carmen Williams表示,邓玉鹏共被控13项重罪,保释金50万元,如罪名成立,至少可入州狱八年。
起诉书指出,邓玉鹏被控13项罪名,包括利用虚假名义非法敛财、非法製造文件、非法製造印章等13项重罪,所有罪行都发生在2008 年10月至2009年4月中旬。起诉书说,邓玉鹏利用自己封的「最高司令」名义,收取高额入会费和会员置装费,并收受会员「进贡」的财物。
邓玉鹏还被控今年3月2日涉嫌一起未成年孩童性侵案,罪名如成立,最高可判三年徒刑。
起诉书指出,邓玉鹏过去两年利用自己封称的美军志愿后备役组织身分,在圣盖博谷华裔聚居城市招募会员,招收成员时以「可以成为公民捷径」为诱饵,每人收取高达450元入会费和125元会员更新费,获取暴利。
他被捕消息传出后,洛杉矶多个华裔美军志愿后备役会员相当震惊。罗斯密美国志愿后备军人协会「司令」(会长)张概义不愿发表评论,但表示,邓玉鹏并非其组织成员。而多位平常活跃南加华裔社区的志愿后备军组织负责人,均未接听电话。
一位与邓玉鹏相识、要求隐名的华裔美军志愿后备役会员表示,邓玉鹏多年前从北京移民来美,家住艾尔蒙地嘉伟大道附近,近年从事装修业。约五年前曾参与另一个华裔美军志愿后备军组织,最近两年自立山头,从此不少人都称他为「邓司令」。
一位志愿后备役成员表示,他们平常虽不是一个组织,但知道邓玉鹏相当活跃,喜欢说话、开玩笑,还经常和朋友谈股经。此次被捕,很震惊。
多位华裔后备役成员透露,当初是通过朋友介绍入会,入会费500元。其中有一对夫妇花了上千元,服装费每人800元,「你想得到更高军衔,交钱就没问题」。
一位志愿后备役成员表示,他们平常都有训练,包括列队、摺旗和升旗等,不过自从世界日报等媒体去年冬天报导相关组织情况后,已基本不参加活动。
FBI调查显示,邓玉鹏的组织为会员们提供仿冒美军军服和军人证件的同时,还告诉会员从此「可以畅通无阻」。邓玉鹏「以身作则」,近年无论参加蒙特利公园市市庆游行,或率团访问圣地牙哥,全都穿著军服。 |
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