A California woman has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for running a business that allowed pregnant Chinese women to come to the United States to help them give birth because their babies born in the United States automatically became American citizens.
Phoebe Dong, who runs the business, was sentenced to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner on Monday. Phoebe Dong and her husband, Michael Liu, were convicted in September of money laundering and conspiracy charges related to their company, USA Happy Baby.
Phoebe Dong and her estranged husband, Michael Liu, helped more than 100 pregnant Chinese women come to the United States, federal prosecutors say. The couple also masterminded how the pregnant Chinese women disguised their pregnancies by dressing in revealing clothing to deceive customs officials.
The federal prosecutors’ court filing also alleges that they received tens of thousands of dollars in fees from each of the women as a way to trick U.S. authorities into granting citizenship to their children. Federal prosecutors declined to comment after Phoebe Dong was sentenced. Her attorney said she would appeal.
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