A Houston woman who has been detained in China for more than two years on espionage charges has been deported back to the US.
A judge sentenced Sandy Phan-Gillis to more than three years in prison in a closed-door trial earlier this month. Her attorney was lobbying for his client to receive credit for time already served.
The American businesswoman has been held in the southern city of Guangzhou since being detained at a checkpoint while travelling with a Texas business delegation. She arrived in Los Angeles Friday.
Phan-Gillis’ release eases a source of diplomatic tension between the US and China, which are already strained over the continuing debate over North Korea.