A Chinese national was sentenced in absentia on June 30 to more than 3 months in prison for participating in a large-scale birth tourism and visa fraud scheme that organized trips to the United States for foreign nationals to give birth in order to obtain U.S. citizenship for their children.
Chao “Edwin” Chen, 35, sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Selna, pleaded guilty in June 2016 to visa fraud, marriage fraud, and filing a false tax return. He fled to China after pleading guilty and became a fugitive, according to a statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
