A Chinese national pleaded guilty on Apr. 21 in federal court to unlawfully photographing a vital military installation and military equipment at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
Qilin Wu, age 35, admitted before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill A. Morris to taking unauthorized photographs and videos of the base perimeter, gate, and B-2 Spirit aircraft. Court documents show that on Dec. 2, 2025, Air Force patrolmen encountered Wu near the base after reports of a suspicious minivan. Wu told officers he was observing the B-2 Spirit aircraft but was informed that photography or video recording was not allowed.
The following day, Wu’s minivan was again seen near the perimeter fence. Investigators found that Wu had taken multiple images and videos of both Whiteman Air Force Base and another U.S. Air Force installation’s aircraft using his phone—totaling eighteen images and videos he admitted capturing.
Wu is a Chinese national who entered the United States illegally near Nogales, Arizona on June 22, 2023. He was initially arrested by immigration authorities but released due to lack of detention space while awaiting removal proceedings scheduled for February 2027. On Dec. 3, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement re-arrested him.
Wu faces up to one year in federal prison under statutes set by Congress; sentencing will be determined later based on advisory guidelines following a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Chlarson with assistance from Trial Attorney Brendan P. Geary of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section; it involved several agencies including the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Security Forces at Whiteman AFB, as well as ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
The U.S Attorney for the Western District of Missouri supports community outreach programs focused on violent crime prevention according to its official website. The office has locations in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield according to its official website, operates within the Department of Justice according to its official website, manages federal prosecutions across sixty-six counties according to its official website, covers jurisdiction from Iowa’s border southward through Arkansas according to its official website, and collaborates with various law enforcement partners according to its official website.
