A Jacksonville Navy lieutenant will be sentenced in federal court on Wednesday for gun crimes and lying to help Chinese businessmen.

A Jacksonville U.S. Navy officer on Friday was found guilty of violating U.S. firearms laws by making false written statements to federally licensed firearms dealers during the purchase of two firearms and making false written statements as part of a security clearance background investigation while helping two Chinese nationals.

COVID-19 precautions are being tightened at some courthouses across Northeast Florida because of the latest spike in cases.

Zheng Yan accepted the plea deal and has agreed to cooperate with authorities. Fan Yang and his wife Yang Yang in what the government said was a conspiracy to smuggle military-style boat engines to China. Zheng Yan faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine dollar fine. Federal prosecutors said the investigation revealed a threat to national security, and called Lt. Yang a flight risk. Lawyers for the suspects have filed multiple motions for release pending trial, but theyve all been denied.

Fan Yang and Yang Yang asked for 6 months to prepare for a criminal trial against them. The process will also involve the use of a classified information security officer to review classified information that is expected to be part of the pretrial discovery process. The government wants to avoid the “unnecessary disclosure” of classified information in the case. A separate detention hearing for the Yangs’ co-defendants, Ge Song Tao and Zheng Yan, was postponed until Jan. 16. Fan Yang is a lieutenant in the anti-submarine warfare unit at NAS Jacksonville and has top security clearances.

Ge Song Tao is currently being held without bond at the Baker County Detention Center. Fan Yang and his wife Yang Yang, along with another Chinese national. In the motion, the lawyer argues the charges against Ge are the result of a single recorded conversation between the Yangs. "The government has boot-strapped its entire case allowing it to cast the entire business transaction into something sinister-sounding...to create angst in this country," the lawyer states. The Yangs and the fourth person charged in the case, Zheng Yan, are also being held without bond.

Fan Yang and his wife Yang Yang sat before a judge Tuesday morning in federal court and formally entered pleas of not guilty. Through their attorneys, Dale Carson and Bill Kent, they entered not guilty pleas to a number of charges. Federal agents are attempting to link Fan Yang and Yang Yang to a scheme to smuggle inflatable boats and military-use engines to China. Details started to come out after the FBI and NCIS raided the Yangs' Jacksonville home off San Jose Boulevard. Yang Yang used to work for an attorney in New York and has knowledge about the legal system.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Navy lieutenant and his wife accused of illegally sending boats and military-grade items to China have been federally indicted. The office of U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez on Friday announced the indictment of Fan Yang, Yang Yang, Ge Songtao and Zheng Yan on charges related to a conspiracy to smuggle military-style boats to China. Fan Yang, who is a China-born U.S. citizen, is also charged with an additional firearms-related offense and making false official statements. COURT DOCUMENT: Indictment of Yangs, 2 Chinese nationalsFederal agents are attempting to link Fan Yang and Yang Yang, his wife who is also a U.S. citizen, to a scheme to smuggle inflatable boats and military-use engines to China. Details started to come out after the FBI and NCIS raided the Yangs' Jacksonville home off San Jose Boulevard.

Fan Yang and his wife, Yang Yang. Fan Yang, a China-born U.S. citizen who became a U.S. Navy officer, was not present due to a transportation issue; however, his wife Yang Yang, who is also a U.S. citizen, was in court. Federal agents are attempting to link Fan Yang and Yang Yang to a scheme to smuggle inflatable boats and military-use engines to China. Details started to come out after the FBI and NCIS raided the Yangs' Jacksonville home off San Jose Boulevard. Yang Yang was represented by Bill Kent.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A former FBI agent said damage done by Navy Lt. Fan Yang, who is now facing multiple federal charges, represents a grave threat to all three area military bases and our entire country's national security. "This is someone that we trained, someone who has access to some of the most sensitive information," Chrabot said. The government also knows that Yang and his wife helped get two hard drives to China. Ge Song Tao and Zheng Yan, the two Chinese nationals arrested this week in Louisiana in connection with the Yangs' case, are expected to be transferred to Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Calling him "a danger to national security," a judge on Wednesday denied bond for a Jacksonville Navy lieutenant whose home was raided by agents with the FBI and NCIS. During a court hearing Wednesday, a judge determined Yang Yang "is a danger to herself and potentially others." Zheng Yan and Yang Yang are accused of trying to buy multiple inflatable boats that were to be sent to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries Bureau, according to court documents. In addition, the government claimed Yang Yang lied during questioning and that she lied to the bank when she opened BQ Tree LLC, saying it would sell cellphones and office supplies. Dale Carson is one of four private attorneys representing Fan Yang and Yang Yang against the weight of the U.S. government.

Fan Yang and his wife Yang Yang are scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday. The I-TEAM found documents showing the U.S. citizen lied repeatedly to his naval commanders and on government background checks. Documents show Fan Yang lied again to get a gun for Songtao, claiming it was a personal weapon for Yang Yang, even though he later had it engraved with Songtao's initials. Records show Fan Yang joined the Navy in 2005, was discharged in 2007, went back to school and reenlisted in 2012. The I-TEAM contacted three officials within the Navy today to inquire about background checks done on Fan Yang.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Questions continue to swirl in the wake of the arrest of a Jacksonville Navy lieutenant accused of conspiring with his wife and two others of sending smuggled goods to China. Yang and his wife, Yang Yang, were arrested Oct. 17 after a raid of their San Jose home. Published reports say Peng, like Yang, was born in China and moved to the U.S., where he became a citizen. Also like Yang, Peng apparently presented himself as a tour guide in San Francisco, running sight-seeing excursions for Chinese students and visitors. Unlike Yang, Peng is charged with espionage.

Fan Yang, a Chinese-born man who became an officer with the US Navy, garnering top secret clearance with an NAS Jacksonville P-8 anti-submarine squadron. RELATED: Navy lieutenant, Chinese national connected to FBI raid in Jacksonville |New twist in federal case involving Navy lieutenant, Chinese nationalsIn another document obtained by the I-TEAM, the Yangs are accused of working with a Chinese company called Shanghai Breeze. Agents contend the four defendants were smuggling American-made vessels and equipment to Shanghai Breeze, to eventually wind up with the Chinese government. The company that makes the vessels also makes vessels for the Navy, so it may have been prohibited from selling to the Chinese government. The I-TEAM found the Yangs and a Chinese national, Ge Song Toa, have all been detained as the investigation continues.