Sunday, September 15, 2024 A Southern California couple was convicted by a jury on Friday for operating a business that assisted pregnant Chinese women in traveling to the United States without disclosing their intent to give birth and secure American citizenship for their babies. Michael Liu and Phoebe Dong were found guilty of conspiracy and 10 counts of money laundering in a federal court in Los Angeles. The case comes nine years after a federal crackdown on birth tourism operators who allegedly helped pregnant women mislead U.
S. authorities to enter the country for the purpose of giving birth. Liu and Dong were charged in 2019 alongside several others, including a woman who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 months in prison for running a similar business called “You Win USA.
” Prosecutors claimed that Liu and Dong’s company, “USA Happy Baby,” provided services to several hundred women between 2012 and 2015, charging up to $40,000 for assistance, including apartment rentals during their stay in Southern California. The company also collaborated with overseas entities to coach women on how to pass U.S.
visa interviews and evade detection of their pregnancies at airports, including wearing loose clothing to avoid suspicion. “Their business model always included deceiving U.S.
immigration authorities,” federal prosecutor Kevin Fu said during closing arguments. Defense attorneys for the couple, who are now separated, argued that their clients only offered ser.