According to Christian religious freedom charity China Aid, a court in China's southern Yunnan province has punished John Cao for crossing the China-Myanmar border with a colleague last March even though they've crossed the border before with no previous issues.
The charity said the pastor from North Carolina is well-respected for building 16 schools that service 2,000 impoverished minority children in Myanmar's northern Wa State.
After spending nearly a year in police custody, Cao was tried on 9th February and along with his prison time will also have to pay a 20,000 yuan ($3,000 USD) fine.
His colleague, Jing Ruxia, has been released from prison after being held in custody for a year. She was fined $792.
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