A California man was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on Monday for running a business that helped pregnant Chinese nationals give birth in the United States, ensuring their children would acquire American citizenship.
Prosecutors alleged that from at least January 2012 to March 2015, Michael Wei Yueh Liu, a Taiwanese-born resident of Rancho Cucamonga, controlled a company named USA Happy Baby. The service offered transportation arrangements and provided lodging at a maternity hotel he owned in San Bernardino County, catering to birth tourism for hundreds of expectant mothers from China.
For fees reportedly as high as tens of thousands of dollars, clients received assistance with securing travel documents and guidance on how to conceal their pregnancies from U.S. immigration authorities.
Liu’s wife, Jing Dong, was also convicted for her role in the operation and is currently awaiting sentencing.
