You might have seen the news about the big federal bust of a Chinese fraud ring responsible for bringing in pregnant Chinese women to give birth so that their babies would have US citizenship, but why is this the first big bust?
This scam on America has been going on probably for decades. I’ve been hearing about it for more then ten years!
I repeat: Why did the US government permit this to go on so long? (long enough for the perps to become millionaires!).
Here is the Fox News story, but for more of the disgusting details see the Department of Justice press release, here.
19 charged in Chinese ‘birth tourism’ crackdown: US prosecutors
Federal authorities charged 19 people on Thursday in the first crackdown on birth tourism businesses, which prosecutors say bring hundreds of pregnant women from China to the United States.
Among the arrested were Dongyuan Li, 41, whose business was called “You Win USA,” which coached pregnant Chinese women on how to get into the United States to deliver babies. Those infants would then enjoy all the benefits of American citizenship. Over two years, she raked in millions through her business, where mothers-to-be paid between $40,000 and $80,000 each to come to California, stay in an upscale apartment and give birth, authorities said.
Jing Dong, 42, and Michael Wei Yueh Liu, 53, who allegedly operated “USA Happy Baby,” also were arrested.
More than a dozen others, including the operator of another such business, also face charges but are believed to have returned to China, said the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
“America’s way of life is not for sale,” said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles, in a statement to Fox News.
Homeland Security “will aggressively target those who would make a mockery of our laws and our values to benefit and enrich themselves.”
[….]
While it isn’t illegal to visit the United States while pregnant, authorities said the businesses — which were raided by federal agents in 2015 — touted the benefits of having U.S. citizen babies, who could get free public education and years later help their parents immigrate.
More here.
Be sure to see the DOJ press release with more gory details.
Note that many of those whose indictments are now unsealed have left the country.
Here is one paragraph that you need to see which tells you that our Justice Department took a helluva long time to go after these Chinese crooks.
You Win USA!
The federal investigation into Dongyuan Li’s You Win USA scheme has resulted in seizure and/or forfeiture proceedings against three real properties with millions of dollars in equity, including her $2.1 million residence in Irvine; six vehicles, including four Mercedes Benz vehicles; more than $1 million from bank accounts; and many gold bars and coins.
By the way, China is not the only country sending its nationals to the US for this scam, I see that the Russians are doing it as well. And, I am sure those two countries are not alone in taking advantage of us.
What should you do?