LOS ANGELES – The ex-wife of a former Chinese government official has pleaded guilty to charges that she conspired to fraudulently obtain visas to enter the United States through the immigrant investor program.
Shilan Zhao (趙世蘭), 53, of Newcastle, Washington, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of conspiring with her ex-husband to commit immigration fraud by submitting false documents to federal authorities. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Zhao agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation into this matter.
At sentencing, Zhao will face a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
Zhao and her ex-husband – Jianjun Qiao (喬建軍), also known as Feng Li, 53 – were charged in a federal grand jury indictment unsealed in March 2015. Qiao remains a fugitive who is being sought by federal authorities.
According to the indictment, Zhao and Qiao were divorced, but, in documents filed with U.S. immigration authorities, they falsely claimed to be married. The indictment also accused them of lying about the source of Zhao’s investment in the U.S., an investment which was required under the EB-5 immigrant investor program to obtain U.S. immigrant visas.
Zhao pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea agreement in which she admitted that she submitted false documents, prepared or obtained by her ex-husband, to U.S. immigration authorities under penalty of perjury to support her immigration application. Those documents included a false marriage certificate and documents that purported to show the source of the money used for her investment.
In her plea agreement, Zhao agrees that $25,000 used to pay her bond can be applied to any restitution or other monetary penalties ordered in this case. Additionally, she agreed to forfeit her interest in several parcels in Monterey Park; a house in Newcastle, Washington; and a condominium in Flushing, New York.
This case is the product of a joint investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and IRS – Criminal Investigation, which received assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate and Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China also provided assistance.
