If you work at NASA, there are a few things you should never ever do. The first: never be Chinese and bring your NASA-issued laptop to China because they'll think you're a Chinese spy exposing secrets. The second: if you do bring your NASA-issued laptop to China, don't download porn on your NASA-issued laptop. Chinese scientist Bo Jiang failed 'em both.
Bo Jiang, who is from China but earned a doctorate here in the States and worked for NASA's Langely Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, was arrested on a plane headed to China for suspected espionage. The FBI thought Jiang was going to give China sensitive material from his NASA laptop. They didn't find anything like that. Nothing NASA related, at least. Instead, they found a computer filled with porn and pirated movies. I guess on his trip to his homeland, Jiang needed a little comfort. Can't blame the guy! (But let's separate work from personal next time?)
Jiang has been charged with a misdemeanor for "unlawfully downloaded copyrighted movies and sexually explicit films onto his NASA laptop". That's probably the most ridiculous 'spy' arrest in NASA history. [BusinessWeek, Quartz]
Image by Shutterstock / Andersphoto
NASA Chinese Scientist Was Accused of Being a Spy Because...Porn