A Chinese researcher was arrested Thursday for allegedly falsifying her ties to the Chinese military on a visa application, according to a Department of Justice official.
Juan Tang was arrested in San Francisco Thursday evening and does not qualify for diplomatic immunity, a senior DOJ official told reporters, Reuters reported.
Tang was charged with visa fraud June 26 and reportedly went into hiding at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, according to Reuters.
According to court documents, Tang had lied on her non-immigrant visa application dated Oct. 28, 2019, where she claimed to be a researcher at UC Davis and reported having no ties to the military or Chinese Communist Party, the Sacramento Bee reported.
FBI internet searches found photos of her in military uniform and evidence she worked for the Air Force Military Medical University, as well as an affidavit, saying she is “considered an active military personnel,” the Sacramento Bee reported.
A Chinese researcher at UC Davis has been charged with visa fraud after the FBI says she lied about her affiliation with the People’s Republic of China’s military. Court documents show Juan Tang is believed to be hiding out at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco @FOX40 pic.twitter.com/cVl56QD9lr
— Jessica Mensch (@Jessmensch) July 23, 2020
“Juan Tang was a visiting researcher in the Department of Radiation Oncology, funded by the Chinese Scholarship Council, a study-based exchange program affiliated with the China’s Ministry of Education and Xijing Hospital in China,” UC Davis said in statement to ABC10. “Her work was solely based in the research laboratory and she left the University at the end of June.”
Tang is one of four Chinese nationals who were aided by the consulate in San Francisco, according to the Los Angeles Times. Xin Wang, a researcher at UC San Francisco had a “designated point of contact” at the consulate, the Los Angeles Times reported. Neurology researcher Chen Song and Indiana University graduate Kaikai Zhao face the same charges of failing to disclose ties to the Chinese military, the Los Angeles Times reported. (RELATED: Chinese Military Researcher Wanted By FBI Is Reportedly Sheltered In California Consulate)
If convicted, they face the up to 10 years and prison and a $250,000 fine, the Department of Justice said in a press release.
The U.S Attorney’s Office in San Francisco did respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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