Chinese Woman Used ChatGPT to Help Brother Escape After Planting Bomb at U.S. Air Force Base
A 27-year-old Chinese woman turned to ChatGPT for advice on how to spirit her brother away to China after he allegedly planted a non-detonating IED outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, the headquarters for U.S. Central Command.
Alen Zheng, 20, is accused of placing the improvised explosive device at the base’s visitor center on March 10. The device failed to explode, but the plot targeted a critical military installation overseeing operations in the Middle East.
His sister, Ann Mary Zheng, jumped into action the next day. Prosecutors say she asked ChatGPT about obtaining a Chinese visa, how to transfer property into her brother’s name using power of attorney, and researched Chinese schools he could attend to stay hidden long-term.
She is also charged with tampering with evidence, including helping sell the Mercedes-Benz vehicle used to transport the bomb to CarMax right after the plot, then cleaning it out before the siblings fled.
The pair bolted to China on March 12. Alen Zheng remains there, out of reach in a country with no extradition treaty with the United States. Ann Mary Zheng returned to America and was arrested on March 17.
In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Stoia pushed hard against bail, warning of a “substantial risk” that Ann Mary Zheng would flee again if released. Stoia told the judge, “She took all of these steps to get her brother to a place without an extradition treaty with the United States. I think the question is, what is the defendant’s freedom worth to her?”
This case highlights the brazen lengths some will go to undermine American security and then game the system to evade justice, all while leaning on American technology like ChatGPT to plot their getaway. Alen Zheng faces up to 40 years if convicted. His sister could get 30 years for accessory after the fact and evidence tampering.
No soft treatment for those who attack our military and then run home to China. Lock her up and throw away the key.