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China jails US businessman 20 years in mob trial

By WTOP Staff

GILLIAN WONG
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese court sentenced a Chinese-American businessman to 20 years in prison on charges of heading a mob that illegally detained rivals and operated casinos, and rejected his claim that he was tortured by police.

The Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement Thursday on its microblog that Vincent Wu operated illegal casinos that raked in 48 million yuan ($7.8 million), got an associate to throw acid at a judge who ruled against him in a lawsuit and ordered thugs to use knives and bulldozers to threaten farmers who refused his offer of compensation to clear off land he wanted to develop.

About two dozen other defendants in the case received sentences of between 19 months and 19 years. Many of the defendants declared in court that they had been tortured by police — deprived of sleep or beaten — into confessing to assault, kidnapping and other violent crimes. About 20 of them recanted their confessions.

Wu’s daughter, Anna Wu, and lawyer Wang Shihua said the sentence was unjust and excessive and that Wu would appeal. Wu’s family says he’s a law-abiding businessman whose rivals have framed him to seize his assets.

“We’re very devastated, of course, because we did not expect it to be that bad, given that so many of the defendants said they had been tortured,” Anna Wu said by phone. “No matter how many times we need to appeal, we will, until my dad is proven innocent.”

China’s leaders and its highest court have pledged to curtail miscarriages of justice that commonly occur because of the illegal use of torture to obtain confessions.

Such abuses are a focal point of public anger at the legal system and the Communist Party that controls it. Earlier this week, three police officers were found guilty of torturing a suspect in a southwest Chinese city but handed lenient sentences, sparking a flurry of criticism on Chinese social media.

Wu’s lawyers saw the gang trial as a test case for determining to what extent a court would comply with the leadership in fully investigating allegations of torture — and throwing out evidence illegally obtained from using it.

“This trial has made a joke of the law,” said Wang, adding that police had refused to provide video and audio recordings of their interrogations of Wu. “Is this called a trial?”

Chinese media cited a police officer who testified by videoconference as saying police could not produce the recordings because the hard disk they were on had a virus.

The court refused to let the defense lawyers call many witnesses to the stand, Anna Wu said, while prosecutors and the judge repeatedly interrupted the defense attorneys, prompting many of the lawyers to stage a walkout in protest. The court carried on with the trial despite their absence.

Wu told his lawyers he had been beaten, kicked and strung by his arms from a ceiling beam as police tried to force him to sign a confession. One other defendant alleged that police applied electric shocks to his genitals. Others said they were suspended by their wrists from high places.

Police in nearby Huizhou city, where the interrogations were carried out, denied the allegations.

Wu left China in the late 1970s as a stowaway to neighboring Hong Kong, where he obtained residency. He moved with his family to the U.S. in 1994, settled in Los Angeles and eventually became a U.S. citizen.

He has been denied U.S. consular access since his detention in June 2012 despite being a U.S. passport holder who shuttles between his family in Los Angeles and his business in China.

The court said he was tried as a Chinese citizen because he last entered the mainland on his Hong Kong residence permit and China doesn’t recognize dual citizenship.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Nolan Barkhouse said that aside from the first day of court proceedings in early February, Chinese authorities refused to allow American consular officers to attend the trial, which concluded in early April.

“We believe that our consular officers should be permitted access, which is why we’ve requested access 11 times,” Barkhouse said.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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