Former NASA contractor arrested on plane to China

A vintage logo for NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (NASA)

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chinese national who worked at NASA's Langley Research Center has been arrested on a plane bound for Beijing on charges of lying to federal agents.

Bo Jiang made his initial appearance Monday in Norfolk federal court. It wasn't immediately clear whether Jiang had an attorney.

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf says Jiang wasn't employed by NASA, but worked at the Hampton, Va. facility for the National Institute of Aerospace.

An affidavit says Jiang was under investigation for possible violations of the Arms Control Export Act.

The affidavit says Jiang was arrested aboard a plane at Dulles International Airport on Saturday when he failed to disclose all of the electronics he was taking with him.

The affidavit says Jiang had previously taken a NASA laptop to China that contained sensitive information.