Beijing man with ties to Hacienda Heights appears in federal court

This from a United States Department of Justice press release:

The vice president of a Hacienda Heights company made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon after being arrested over the weekend on charges of exporting high-tech integrated circuits to China in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). 

William Chai-Wai Tsu, 61, a resident of Beijing, was taken into custody by federal agents Saturday afternoon at the Commerce Casino. According to court documents, Tsu illegally shipped at least 200 of the sophisticated integrated circuits to China. At this afternoon's hearing, a United States Magistrate Judge scheduled Tsu's formal arraignment for February 2. Tsu will remain in federal custody pending a bond hearing Thursday. If convicted of the export violation alleged in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles, the naturalized U.S. citizen faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Federal investigators executed a search warrant Saturday morning at a Hacienda Heights home Tsu allegedly used to receive business-related shipments and correspondence for a company called Cheerway, Inc. During the search, agents seized computer equipment, financial documents and other suspected controlled items believed to be linked to the case.