Li Chen, Yu Zhou, Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Trade Secrets, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Alabama 2023

A married couple from Alabama had their U.S. citizenship revoked after being found guilty of conspiring to steal medical trade secrets and share them with China.

Li Chen, 52, and Yu Zhou, 50, both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The court found that these crimes constituted moral turpitude, rendering them ineligible for naturalization.

On March 30, Judge James E. Simmons Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California entered an order revoking the naturalized U.S. citizenship of Chen and Zhou. The court determined that both defendants committed unlawful acts that adversely reflected on their moral character and that there were no extenuating circumstances to justify their eligibility for naturalization.

The case marks the latest in a string of high-profile cases involving individuals attempting to obtain U.S. citizenship through deceitful means. In recent years, the U.S. government has increased its efforts to crack down on naturalization fraud, with a growing number of cases resulting in citizenship revocations.

Chen and Zhou’s conspiracy involved the theft of trade secrets from a medical device company in the United States. They were accused of sharing sensitive information with Chinese nationals, who used it to further their own business interests.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has not disclosed the extent of the financial losses incurred by the medical device company as a result of the conspiracy. However, the case highlights the growing concern over the theft of trade secrets and the potential risks to national security.

As the U.S. continues to grapple with the challenges of global competition and economic espionage, cases like Chen and Zhou’s serve as a reminder of the importance of protecting sensitive information and the consequences of attempting to deceive the naturalization process.

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