Suspect Faces Charges After Being Caught With Aerial Photos of the Military Installation
A Brentwood man was arrested Monday on allegations of flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County and capturing aerial photographs, according to federal authorities.
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, faces charges of failing to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violating national defense airspace. He was taken into custody at San Francisco International Airport before boarding a flight bound for China. Zhou is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, drone detection systems at Vandenberg identified a drone flying over the base on Nov. 30. The drone reportedly flew for nearly an hour, reached an altitude of almost one mile, and originated from Ocean Park, a public area adjacent to the base.
Base security personnel located Zhou at the park and found a drone concealed in his jacket. Federal authorities later searched the drone and discovered aerial photographs of the base. A search of Zhou’s cellphone revealed he had conducted a Google search for “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules” about a month earlier and exchanged messages about modifying the drone to fly higher than its standard altitude limit.
Zhou, a Chinese citizen and lawful permanent U.S. resident, last returned to the United States from China in February 2024. The person accompanying Zhou at Ocean Park most recently entered the U.S. on Nov. 26.
Federal officials emphasize that a criminal complaint contains allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted, Zhou could face a maximum sentence of four years in federal prison.
The FBI is leading the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kedar S. Bhatia and Trial Attorney Benjamin Koenigsfeld handling the prosecution.
