Washington, April 1 A US federal judge has stripped a married couple of their American citizenship after they were convicted of stealing sensitive medical trade secrets and sharing them with China, the Justice Department said.
Judge James E. Simmons Jr. of the US District Court for the Southern District of California issued the order on March 30 against Li Chen and Yu Zhou, finding they had illegally procured their naturalisation.
Chen and Zhou had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The court held these offences amounted to crimes involving moral turpitude, disqualifying them from demonstrating the “good moral character” required for naturalisation.
The judge also found both had committed unlawful acts that reflected adversely on their moral character, with no extenuating circumstances.
“Gaining citizenship after committing serious crimes against the American people is an unacceptable abuse of our immigration system,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “These latest denaturalizations illustrate this Department of Justice's focus on ensuring that citizenship remains a privilege to obtain, not a right to abuse.”
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said, “Naturalization is not a right — it’s a privilege given by the generous people of this nation. When the generosity of America’s immigration process is abused, our system works to correct such abuse. Full stop.”
Chen, a Chinese national, entered the United States in 2007 on an H-1B visa sponsored by Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She later obtained permanent residency in 2011 after her petition as an alien of extraordinary ability was approved, and became a US citizen in 2016.
Zhou entered the US in 2005 as an exchange visitor and returned in 2008 on an H-1B visa, also sponsored by the hospital. He became a permanent resident in 2011 as Chen’s spouse and naturalised in 2017.
The couple were arrested in 2019 for criminal conduct involving the theft of medical trade secrets tied to their work as research scientists focused on exosome isolation.
Prosecutors said they personally benefited from their theft by establishing their own company and acquiring shares in another company that utilised the stolen trade secrets. They also received funding from the People’s Republic of China’s State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs.
Authorities said the couple jointly received nearly $1.5 million in transactions resulting from their exchange of exosome isolation intellectual property.
Chen was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, while Zhou was sentenced to 33 months and three years of supervised release. The court also ordered more than $2.6 million in restitution to be paid jointly and severally.
The court held that their wire fraud — and conspiracy to commit wire fraud — constituted crimes involving moral turpitude warranting revocation of their citizenship. It also found their broader unlawful acts independently justified the decision.
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