Judge reduces bail for man charged with illegally shipping anti-submarine equipment to China because of coronavirus-related court delays

A federal judge in Boston agreed today to reduce the amount of cash a Wellesley man had to put up to secure his freedom as he awaits trial from $500,000 to $300,000 because court delays related to Covid-19 have put off hearings related to the case against him and he has no other way to pay his lawyers or support his family.

Shuren Qin was indicted in 2018 on charges he shipped hydraphones, which can be used to detect submarines, to a Chinese university affiliated with the People's Liberation Army without obtaining federal export licenses - and by laundering the payments from China to hide them from the government.

In March, during hearings on a request by his lawyer to suppress certain evidence, US District Court Judge Denise Casper postponed the hearings to June, after the court's presiding judge issued a directive delaying all non-emergency hearings for two months because of the Covid-19 crisis.

Yesterday, with the support of the US Attorney's office, Qin's lawyers asked Casper for a reduction in the amount of cash he'd put up to remain free while awaiting trial - part of an overall $1.5-million bail package that also includes his house in Wellesley and two houses he owns in New Hampshire that his father-in-law and sister-in-law lived in. In their request, his lawyers wrote:

Mr. Qin recognizes that the pace with which his case has proceeded is necessary to a just resolution of this matter and for the health and safety of those involved, and he has no objection. Mr. Qin's only issue is one of cash flow - that is, he is in need of additional funds in order to pay his ongoing legal fees and his family's living expenses. At the time of his release ... Mr. Qin resigned from LinkOcean Technologies [the company that allegedly shipped the devices to China], the only employment he has held since 2005. Mr. Qin has been paying the family's living expenses from his savings but over the past nineteen months, those savings have dwindled to the point that he can no longer pay his legal bills and also support his family. Moreover, while Mr. Qin is certainly willing to work, given the current pandemic and the fact of this indictment, it is impracticable to expect that he will be able to find employment that will sustain his family and fund his defense any time in the near future.

They continued:

Since he was released from custody more than a year and a half ago, Mr. Qin has demonstrated the seriousness with which he takes this process, both by complying with all conditions of his release and by regularly appearing in Court to defend this case. In light of his current financial need, he now seeks to reduce the amount of the cash security required by the Court as part of his Appearance Bond. Specifically, Mr. Qin requests that the amount of the cash security be reduced from $500,000 to $300,000, with the difference in funds to be returned to him. This reduction will enable Mr. Qin to pay his legal fees and the family's living expenses, while maintaining the bulk of the financial security provided to secure his release, including the three family properties and $300,000 in cash. That, plus the other conditions of his release (including electronic monitoring and a nightly curfew) are more than enough to secure his continued presence before the Court.

Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler granted assent for the reduction this morning.

Innocent, etc.