Former NASA contractor in court

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) - The case against Bo Jiang, a Chinese national and a former NASA-Langley contractor accused of lying was heard in Newport News Federal Court Thursday. 

Jiang's detention hearing was continued and he appeared in court on a Grand Jury indictment implying he lied to law enforcement officials last weekend.

Jiang was a PHD student at Old Dominion University and had worked with NASA-Langley as a contractor. He worked at the Hampton facility for the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) until January 2013.

Jiang had a work visa and was on his way back to China when he got arrested earlier this week. An affidavit said Jiang failed to disclose all of the electronics he was taking with him.

In court, Jiang needed headphones and an interpreter to explain what was going on in court.   

Jiang had 15 supporters in the courtroom, including his mother.

"He has a bad English accent," friend Loc Tran told 10 On Your Side. "I don't know what the difference is between saying he has one computer when he had two. I also don't know if the questions were conveyed to him properly or not."

The request for a search warrant states Jiang once before left the country with a laptop that belonged to NASA-Langley, and according to the government, it is believed to have contained sensitive information.

Through an interpreter, WAVY.com spoke with Jiang's mother outside of court Thursday.

"He is innocent," she said, holding back tears.

Jiang will be back in court next Thursday for another detention hearing.