Taiwanese man extradited to NY on smuggling charges

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Taiwanese man was extradited to New York on charges of attempting to smuggle military equipment from the United States to Taiwan, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Monday.

Yen Ching Peng, a resident of Taiwan, appeared in Manhattan federal court on Monday and was ordered to be detained by a federal magistrate judge after being extradited from Hong Kong on Saturday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan said.

Peng is accused of attempting to buy military equipment and technology from a U.S. undercover agent in New York between July 2006 and December 2007 that included infrared laser aiming devices and thermal weapons sights that are used on rifles, as well as a fighter pilot's helmet, according to his indictment.

He was arrested in December in Hong Kong and faces charges including conspiring to smuggle military equipment to Taiwan and money laundering. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years on the money laundering charges alone.

Peng sent various payments of several thousand dollars to the undercover agent for the equipment and asked for the agent to lie about the contents and export the equipment without a license, the indictment said.

Peng's alleged accomplice, Peter Liu, who was based in New York and worked as a flight attendant, pleaded guilty to smuggling charges and was sentenced to 30 months in prison in August.

According to prosecutors, the helmet contained technology that allows a fighter pilot to direct weapons on board against enemies while performing complicated maneuvers.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Michelle Nichols)