SAN DIEGO (AP) — A man accused of trying to buy sophisticated military equipment to send to China has pleaded guilty to a federal charge in San Diego.

U-T San Diego (http://bit.ly/R5RgW3 ) reports Chi Tong Kuok entered a plea Tuesday to conspiracy to violate export laws. Under a plea deal, he'll face no more than 46 months in prison.

A previous conviction and eight-year sentence were overturned. A federal appeals court said Kuok should have been allowed to put on a defense that the Chinese government forced him to seek the equipment.

Prosecutors claimed that Kuok tried for several years to obtain GPS, communications and other equipment used by the U.S. military that cannot be exported without a license. The investigation began in 2006 and involved a Carlsbad company. Kuok was arrested in 2009.

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Information from: U-T San Diego, http://www.utsandiego.com