American accused of spying in China could soon head home

A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced American Sandy Phan-Gillis to three and a half years in prison and ordered her deported. Chinese officials accused Phan-Gillis of spying, a charge she and her family vehemently denied. Lawyer David Zhang, who represents Phan-Gillis, said the ruling could mean the Houston businesswoman will be headed home soon. The court did not specify when she might be deported, but it could consider her two-year detention as time served, making her eligible for parole. Border agents arrested Phan-Gillis in March 2015 during a trip with a Houston business delegation. Her detention baffled family members but drew little attention from the U.S. government. Human rights activists credit movement in the case to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who raised the issue with his Beijing counterparts during a recent visit to China. Phan-Gillis is ethnically Chinese but was born in Vietnam. She is a naturalized U.S. citizen.