Organizer of Birth Tourism Scheme Sentenced to Over 3 Years in Prison

Preview

Michael Wei Yueh Liu, a 59-year-old man, was recently sentenced to nearly 3 1/2 years in prison for his role in organizing a birth tourism scheme that facilitated the travel of pregnant Chinese women to the United States. This scheme allowed these women to give birth in the U.S., thereby obtaining U.S. citizenship for their children. Liu was found guilty of conspiracy and money laundering related to his operation of a company called USA Happy Baby, which specialized in these activities.

Preview

The prosecution revealed that Liu and his now-separated wife, Phoebe Dong, helped more than 100 pregnant Chinese women travel to the U.S. for this purpose. The scheme involved widespread immigration fraud and international money laundering, and it also defrauded various entities. Dong was separately sentenced to over three years in prison for her involvement in the operation.

This case is part of a larger crackdown on birth tourism operations, with federal prosecutors unsealing indictments against 19 individuals linked to similar schemes in Southern California. The practice of birth tourism has been a long-standing issue, with affluent Chinese women traveling to the U.S. to give birth, often paying substantial fees to agencies that facilitate these arrangements. Despite being fundamentally legal, the practice has been associated with problems such as visa fraud and tax evasion.