US arrests Chinese military officer
A Chinese military officer was arrested as he was preparing to leave the United States and charged with visa fraud, the US Justice Department said in a statement on June 11.
A Chinese military officer has been arrested in the US on visa fraud charges.
According to a statement posted on the official website of the US Department of Justice, Xin Wang, a scientific researcher and officer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport, USA, while preparing to leave the US for Tianjin, China.
US Attorney David L. Anderson and FBI Special Agent John F. Bennett announced that Wang was arrested on visa fraud charges.
According to the indictment, Wang entered the United States on March 26, 2019. Wang’s visa stated that his purpose of coming to the United States was to participate in scientific research with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). In his visa application, Wang said that he had been an Associate Professor of Medicine at the PLA from September 1, 2002 to September 1, 2016.
In fact, on June 7, 2020, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discovered that Wang was still a PLA officer, working at a military laboratory. CBP also learned that Wang held the rank of major. According to US investigators, Wang received a salary from the Chinese military and a stipend from the University of California during his time in the US.
US Department of Justice announces arrest of Chinese military officer.
The US concluded that Wang lied about his role in the PLA when he applied for a visa to the US to conduct scientific research. Wang told CBP that he was instructed by his superiors to study how the research institute at UCSF operated and bring the information back to build a similar research institute in China.
CBP found that Wang had emailed research materials to China. Some of UCSF's research activities are funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to CBP, Wang deleted data on the WeChat app upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport.
If convicted, Wang could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Wang appeared in court in California on June 8, 2020, and will remain in custody. Wang's next court appearance is on June 12, 2020. The case remains under investigation by the FBI.
