The seven defendants were charged at the end of a five-year investigation into the illegal shipping of sensitive weapons, including parts used in surface-to-air missiles and fighter aircraft, prosecutors revealed. All seven, including two people of Chinese origin, were based in the Los Angeles area and allegedly attempted to export parts for weapons such as the AIM-9 "Sidewinder" heat-seeking anti-aircraft missile to China. "The investigation ... was launched in 1998 to stem the illegal flow of military and defense equipment in and out of the United States," Assistant United States Attorney Mary Carter Andrues said in a statement. The...
