Chinese nationals charged in connection with ‘maternity tourism’

[EndoftheWorld]

Chinese nationals charged in connection with ‘maternity tourism’

Witnesses who were required to remain in the US for 'maternity tourism' cases are charged with fleeing US in violation of federal laws

PUBLISHED : Friday, 01 May, 2015, 10:37pm
UPDATED : Friday, 01 May, 2015, 11:09pm

Tribune News Service in Los Angeles

Federal agents serve warrants at a 'birth tourism' centre.Photo: TNS

US Federal prosecutors have filed charges against 11 Chinese nationals in connection with "maternity tourism" businesses that help pregnant women fraudulently travel to the US to give birth so their children will become American citizens, authorities have said.

Ten of the individuals - who are mostly pregnant women and their husbands - were charged on Thursday with obstruction of justice and contempt of court for leaving the country after a judge ordered them to remain and provide information to investigators.

Most are also accused of lying on their visa applications to give birth to children who would automatically become US citizens, according to the office of the US attorney.

Prosecutors said the defendants, who are believed to be in China, are considered fugitives.

The charges follow a large-scale federal raid in March targeting three Southern California-based "maternity tourism" schemes that charged up to US$50,000 (HK$388,000) for services assisting women who wanted to give birth in the US.

Swarms of agents served search warrants on apartment complexes and offices in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties linked to the businesses, which agents said helped foreign women fabricate documents for visa applications and trained them to falsely claim that they were travelling to the US for tourism.

Agents wrote in affidavits that the schemes' operators instructed women to travel early in their pregnancy, wear loose clothing to hide their condition and arrive in the US through Hawaii or Las Vegas rather than Los Angeles, where authorities are more suspicious of maternity tourism.

No charges were filed at the time of the raids. A total of 29 individuals, including the 10 who fled, were designated by a magistrate judge as material witnesses.

Assistant US Attorney Charles Pell said authorities initially decided to target those who were most culpable, the operators of the businesses, including Star Baby Care and You Win USA, and treat customers as witnesses. Once the customers had violated the instructions that they were to follow as government witnesses, prosecutors had little choice but to file charges, Pell said.

"Because they violated the court order ... now their credibility is destroyed and they will not be helpful as witnesses," he said.

An attorney representing four of the charged individuals, Long Z Liu, publicly released a statement from Jie He, one of the women who violated the court order. In the statement, signed "a mother," Jie claimed she left the country because her grandmother was terminally ill.

"I realise that my abrupt departure has caused a lot of trouble to many," the woman wrote, acknowledging that she left "in a questionable manner".

If convicted, the individuals face up to 25 years in prison for the visa fraud charges and up to five years for obstruction, authorities said.

There is nothing in US law making it illegal for pregnant women to enter the United States - and hence no one was arrested in the initial raids.

Businesses engaged in US maternity tourism are believed to have been operating for years, relying on websites, newspaper advertising and social media to promote their services.

Additional reporting by Associated Press