![]() ![]() The investigation into the operations named in today’s indictments began in 2013, when birth tourism operations were booming in Southern California and coming under increasing scrutiny by local officials and disgruntled residents. Many of them fled back to China, however, leading to charges being filed against them and an Irvine attorney who helped them escape. ![]() The indictments stem from a series of raids agents carried out in March 2015 on dozens of apartments used to house pregnant women and other locations linked to the birth tourism schemes.įollowing the raids, several women and their husbands living in the apartments were ordered by a judge to remain in the country as material witnesses in the case. Chen, Homeland Security officials told the Los Angeles Times, pleaded guilty to some crimes and agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of a plea deal, but then fled the country as he awaited sentencing.Īlso indicted today was Wen Rui Deng, 65, an American citizen officials accuse of running a Los Angeles-based agency named Star Baby Care, which authorities believe to have been the largest birth tourism operation in the U.S. Li’s husband, along with her business partner, Chao Chen, and several others involved in the schemes also face charges, but are believed to be living in China, court records show. The three face charges of conspiracy, immigration fraud, money laundering, identity theft and other crimes, according to indictments filed in U.S. citizenship for their children.”Īrrested this morning were Dongyuan Li, 41, of Irvine, who was identified in court records as an executive at You Win USA Vacation Services in Irvine, as well as Michael Wei Yueh Liu, 53, of Rancho Cucamonga, and Jing Dong, 42, of Fontana, who authorities said owned and operated a company called USA Happy Baby in San Bernardino. “Statements by the operators of these birthing houses show contempt for the United States, while they were luring clients with the power and prestige of U.S. ![]() “These cases allege a wide array of criminal schemes that sought to defeat our immigration laws - laws that welcome foreign visitors so long as they are truthful about their intentions when entering the country,” U.S. The charges are the culmination of a long-running investigation by agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the IRS into three outfits operating for years in Los Angeles, the Inland Empire region and Orange County that charged as much as $100,000 for their clandestine services - a price tag authorities say Chinese parents-to-be readily paid to make sure their children would be citizens of what one company’s brochures called the “most attractive nationality.” illegally so they could deliver their children on American soil, according to court records made public today. LOS ANGELES > A group of travel agents has been charged with running illicit “birth tourism” schemes across Southern California that allegedly brought hundreds of pregnant Chinese clients to the U.S. ![]()
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