California woman jailed for 41 months for ‘birth tourism’ scheme to bring pregnant Chinese women to US– timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Source Link
Excerpt:
A California woman, Phoebe Dong, was sentenced on Monday to 41 months in federal prison for her role in operating a “birth tourism” scheme that assisted pregnant Chinese women in travelling to the United States to give birth, thereby securing American citizenship for their children. Dong and her husband, Michael Liu, were convicted in September of conspiracy and money laundering through their company, USA Happy Baby.
The sentencing comes amid heightened national attention on birthright citizenship, following President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aiming to narrow its definition—a move currently blocked by a federal judge.
Dong and Liu’s company reportedly assisted over 100 pregnant Chinese women between 2012 and 2015, charging up to $40,000 for services that included coaching on how to deceive US immigration authorities, such as advising clients to wear loose clothing to conceal pregnancies.