LiAngelo Ball and his UCLA basketball teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill could be facing jail time in China.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the trio of Bruins was arrested for shoplifting during the team’s overseas trip. The players are expected to miss the game and possibly more after stealing from a Louis Vuitton store.
The players were released on bail.
Shoplifting is a serious offense in China and the players could face between three and 10 years in prison if convicted of the charge.
From Yahoo! Sports:
What they face now bears little resemblance to the legal system of the United States. The three men could be detained for more than a month without American-style bail before local prosecutors even decide whether to press charges, according to William Nee, a Hong Kong-based researcher of the Chinese court system for Amnesty International.
Nee said it is not uncommon for a defendant to wait 30-37 days before being officially indicted. Among those indicted, Chinese prosecutors enjoy a 99.2 percent conviction rate, according to Nee’s research.
The Bruins are set to take on Georgia Tech on Friday, but Ball, Riley and Hill have much bigger matters on their hands.
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