On April 24, 2024, Chinese international student Wu Xiaolei (right) and his attorney left the Boston federal court. A federal court judge sentenced Wu Xiaolei to nine months in prison for threatening and harassing pro-democracy activists, followed by three years of supervised release, and was subsequently deported. Wu Xiaolei will report to prison on June 7. (Liu Jingye/The Epoch Times)
[The Epoch Times, April 25, 2024](Reported by Epoch Times reporters Liu Jingye and Lin Yan in Boston) Xiaolei Wu, a Chinese student at the Berklee College of Music, was arrested on Wednesday (April 24) for threatening and harassing Chinese students at the same school who support democracy. ) was sentenced to nine months in prison in Boston, three years of supervised release, and subsequent deportation.
Boston Federal Court Judge Denise Casper announced the ruling on Wednesday in the case of Wu Xiaolei for threatening democrats. Wu Xiaolei will report to prison on June 7. After serving his sentence, he will be deported and will not be allowed to return to the United States without special approval from the Department of Homeland Security.
On January 25, the jury found Wu Xiaolei guilty of two counts of “cyber stalking” and “interstate dissemination of threatening information.”
The sentence was lower than prosecutors’ recommendation, which recommended a sentence of 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release. But at the same time, the verdict was higher than the demands of the defendant’s lawyers, who asked for release and then self-departure.
The judge said that although Wu Xiaolei’s crime occurred within a limited period of two days, its purpose was to prevent the victim from expressing his voice in support of democracy. At the same time, Wu Xiaolei also harassed the victim and encouraged others to harass the victim.
Wu Xiaolei came to the United States on a student visa. After his arrest, the court confiscated his passport. He has complied with the terms of his bail and has not contacted the victim directly or indirectly.
The judge stated that the sentencing was based on Wu Xiaolei’s behavior and the importance of the sentence in protecting more Chinese students and citizens in the United States from being intimidated.
25-year-old Wu Xiaolei was a student at Berklee College of Music and was arrested by the FBI on December 14, 2022.
Zoey, a Chinese international student, posted flyers near the school in October 2022, saying “Be with the Chinese people”, “We want freedom”, “We want democracy”, etc. Wu Xiaolei subsequently threatened the classmate on the Internet many times.
Wu Xiaolei posted a message on the WeChat group of Chinese students and alumni of Berklee College of Music, asking Zoey to tear down the flyer and saying that he had reported her to the Chinese Communist Party’s public security agency.
On October 22, 2022, Wu Xiaolei threatened to cut off Zoey’s hands in a WeChat group and threatened to report her so-called “reactionary posters” to the CCP.
At that time, some members in the group agreed, but others called for a private resolution. Zoey said these comments made her feel extremely scared and worried for her family in China. She could not sleep for two days.
Later, Zoey saw the email Wu Xiaolei sent her, mentioning that she would report her to the Chinese Communist Party’s public security, and also disclosed her school email and residential address. Zoey believed Wu wanted to continue harassing her and encouraged others to join in. She reported it to the school and demanded action.
The school subsequently issued a no-contact order requiring both parties to refrain from contacting each other while the school investigates. Later, the school suspended Wu Xiaolei for one year.
Zoey testified in court that she felt extremely frightened by Wu’s threats and moved away from her original address.
The prosecutor demanded a heavy sentence, accusing Wu Ganzhong of being a pawn of the CCP’s censorship and suppression
At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Wu Xiaolei’s crimes were serious and that he weaponized the authoritarian nature of the Chinese government and used it to harass and threaten his victims.
Prosecutors said Chinese authorities repeatedly visited Zoey’s father in China to harass her, just as Zoey feared.
In the prosecutor’s view, although Wu Xiaolei’s specific actions may not have been taken under the guidance of the Chinese Communist authorities, “he still identified himself as part of China’s (Chinese Communist Party) censorship and repression network” that has deep roots in the United States and deep inside the country. Between the network of Chinese Americans and their families in Mainland China.
Prosecutors said Wu Xiaolei showed a clear lack of remorse and suggested that the verdict in the case would require “strong and universal deterrence.”
On the day he was found guilty in January, Wu Xiaolei seemed unfazed by the verdict. As he left the courthouse, he raised his middle finger to reporters.
Defendant lawyers try to use cultural conflict to reduce sentence
Michael Tumposky, Wu Xiaolei’s attorney, argued that he should not be punished more severely because he did not plead guilty.
Tumpolsky described Wu Xiaolei as a young man who loved jazz and worked hard to get into his dream school, but his future was ruined because of two days of “immature” behavior.
Lawyers sought to frame the issue as related to Wu Xiaolei’s “cultural clash between his highly protected upbringing in communist China and the democratic norms of the United States.”
Wu Xiaolei himself read a statement in court and apologized multiple times.
“I regret it every day,” he said. “I have to take responsibility and learn from what I did. The first step is to say ‘I’m sorry.'”
Both Tumpolsky and Wu told The Epoch Times they had “no comment” as they left the court.
Editor in charge: Sun Yun#
Tags: Chinese student threatened fellow democrats sentenced months prison Xiaolei Internet stalking Berklee College Music
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