Li Chen, Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Trade Secrets, California 2023

Li Chen and Yu Zhou, a married couple from California, have had their naturalized U.S. citizenship revoked by a federal judge due to their involvement in a conspiracy to steal medical trade secrets and share them with China.

The couple, who were research scientists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH), were arrested in 2019 for their roles in the theft of medical trade secrets used in the course of their employment. They were accused of personally benefiting from the theft and sale of NCH trade secrets by establishing their own company and acquiring shares in another company that utilized the stolen trade secrets.

Li Chen, a Chinese national, entered the United States in 2007 on an H-1B Specialty Occupation visa sponsored by Nationwide Children’s Hospital. In 2011, she adjusted her immigration status to permanent resident, and naturalized in 2016. Yu Zhou, also a Chinese national, entered the United States in 2005 as an exchange visitor and naturalized in 2017.

The couple received funding from the People’s Republic of China’s State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs and 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 in prison and three years of supervised release, with over $2.6 million in restitution ordered to be paid jointly and severally between them.

Chen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, while Zhou pleaded guilty to the same charges. The court determined that the couple’s crimes constituted crimes involving moral turpitude that prevented them from having the good moral character necessary to naturalize.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that gaining citizenship after committing serious crimes against the American people is an unacceptable abuse of the immigration system. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate added that naturalization is not a right, but a privilege given by the generous people of this nation.

The cases were investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA). The cases were litigated by the Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation.

The couple’s crimes have resulted in a significant loss for the American people, with over $2.6 million in restitution ordered to be paid. Their actions have also compromised the integrity of the U.S. immigration system, highlighting the need for stricter measures to prevent such abuses.

The revocation of the couple’s citizenship serves as a reminder that naturalization is a privilege that must be earned and not taken for granted. It also underscores the importance of vigilance in protecting the nation’s interests and preventing the exploitation of the immigration system.

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