U.S. Citizenship Revoked for Chinese Couple Convicted of Stealing Research
A Chinese couple has been found guilty of stealing advanced research from a children’s hospital in Ohio and attempting to transfer it to China. As a result, their U.S. citizenship will be annulled, according to an announcement from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday.
Judge James E. Simmons Jr. mandated that Li Chen and Yu Zhou have their naturalized citizenship revoked due to their convictions for wire fraud and conspiracy to steal trade secrets. Prosecutors emphasized that their actions involved “moral corruption,” eliminating the good moral character necessary for retaining citizenship.
Attorney General Pam Bondi stated, “It’s unacceptable to gain citizenship through serious crimes against American citizens. These recent denaturalizations underscore our commitment to ensuring that civil rights are privileges earned, not rights to be misused.”
Chen and Zhou had worked at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus for a decade, leveraging the stolen information to establish a biotechnology firm in China. Reports indicate they received funding from China’s State Administration of Foreign Experts.
The DOJ noted that the proprietary data enabled them to create kits used in identifying and treating several medical conditions. Chen also benefited from support from the Chinese government to launch his venture.
Zhou first entered the U.S. in 2005 on an exchange visitor program. He later re-entered in 2008 with a special occupation visa sponsored by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, eventually adjusting his status to permanent resident as Chen’s spouse. Chen became a U.S. citizen in 2016, while Zhou followed suit in 2017. The couple was arrested in 2019 for charges related to the theft of medical trade secrets.
Both were reportedly involved in a transaction worth $1.5 million concerning the intellectual property for exosome isolation.
Chen received a sentence of 30 months in prison along with three years of supervised release, while Zhou was sentenced to 33 months behind bars. The DOJ stated, “The court concludes that the couple’s wire fraud activities denote a moral depravity that justifies the revocation of their naturalization.”
