A Southern California man has been charged with running a “birth tourism” scheme in which wealthy pregnant Chinese women paid thousands of dollars to travel to the United States and give birth, allowing their infants to obtain U.S. citizenship, authorities said. He was sentenced to more than three years in prison. said Monday.
A federal judge sentenced Michael Wei Yue Liu, 59, of Rancho Cucamonga, just east of Los Angeles, after a four-day trial, according to the Department of Justice.
Liu and Jin Dong, 47, also of Rancho Cucamonga, were each found guilty of one count of conspiracy and 10 counts of international money laundering. Mr Dong will be sentenced at a later date.
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Federal agents on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, searched approximately 20 locations associated with the maternity tourism project in three Southern California counties, including this apartment complex in Rancho Cucamonga, California. (Stan Lim/The Press-Enterprise, via AP)
From January 2012 to March 2015, Liu and Dong operated “USA Happy Babby Inc.” It promoted the benefits of having children in the United States rather than China, the Justice Department said. Possible incentives included “better air quality,” better educational resources, food safety and political stability, according to court documents.
The pair charged between $20,000 and $40,000 per customer. Prosecutors say VIP customers paid more than $100,000.
Prosecutors say Liu and Dong paid Chinese agents to recruit pregnant Chinese women and coach them on how to pass interviews at the U.S. consulate in China.
Officials said the women's visa applications falsely stated they would be in the United States for days or weeks instead of months. They also misrepresented where they were staying in the United States, authorities said.
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Federal agents on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, searched approximately 20 locations associated with the maternity tourism project in three Southern California counties, including this apartment complex in Rancho Cucamonga, California. (Stan Lim/The Press-Enterprise, via AP)
“Generally, Defendant USA HAPPY BABY's customer visa applications state that the purpose of the trip to the United States is tourism, the length of stay is between 8 and 14 days, and that the customer plans to stay in Hawaii, New York, etc. ” or Los Angeles, in fact, those customers were in the United States to give birth, but their stay was three months, and they were in Rancho Cucamonga, California, or California. I was staying in Irvine. ” court documents state.
The women were advised to fly to specific ports of entry where they would be less likely to be monitored by U.S. customs agents. Examples include flying to Hawaii before flying to Los Angeles.
The women were also instructed on how to wear loose-fitting clothing, prioritize certain lines that are considered less strict at customs, and how to answer questions from customs officials.
Federal agents on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, searched approximately 20 locations associated with the maternity tourism project in three Southern California counties, including this apartment complex in Rancho Cucamonga, California. (Stan Lim/The Press-Enterprise, via AP)
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To house the women, authorities said Liu and Dong rented out apartments in Orange and San Bernardino counties to the women in the names of people they were not planning to move into.
Prosecutors say the two made millions of dollars during the scheme.
