A Chinese-American professor at Georgia Tech University allegedly used his authority to arrange for Chinese researchers to enter the country on scholar visas and subsequently work for ZTE (ZTE) in the U.S. In individual cases, the visa holders’ salaries were even paid by the university. The Justice Department said a federal grand jury indicted him on 18 for conspiracy to commit visa fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. The prosecution said it will focus on cracking down on similar cases to prevent people from abusing the visa system.
According to an official statement from the Department of Justice and Hox News, Gee-Kung Chang, a 73-year-old defendant in the case, arranged for Chinese scholars to come to the United States on J-1 visas while working at Joe State University of Technology, falsely claiming that the scholars would participate in their own research on campus, but actually arranged for them to work at ZTE’s branch in New Jersey and engage in communications and IT-related research. The prosecution said some of them were actually paid by Joe State University of Technology while working for ZTE.
The charges include conspiracy to commit visa fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, respectively. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) National Security Investigation Team, and a federal grand jury decided on the charges on the 18th, officials said.
J-1 visas are primarily for scholarly exchanges, and holders can only participate in specific projects at research institutions after entering the U.S. and cannot work in businesses.
Georgia’s acting federal prosecutor Kurt R. Erskine said in a statement that the two defendants are suspected of abusing the visa system to defraud Joe State University of Technology, and that the indictment is only the first step in holding them legally responsible. ICE National Security Investigations Unit Agent Katrina W. Berger, who is in charge of Joe State and Alabama, said the defendants’ actions not only exploited other people’s opportunities to apply for jobs legally, but also allowed fraudsters to profit from their criminal activities, and that law enforcement will continue to locate, arrest and prosecute those involved to protect the nation’s laws and visa system.
Georgia Tech said in a statement that Zhang Jikun will remain on administrative leave until the outcome of the judicial process is known. The statement said the university is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in all areas of its operations.
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