Former U.C. Davis Researcher Charged with Visa Fraud and Making False Statements

UPDATE

Pursuant to a motion by the government, the case against defendant Juan Tang described in the news release below was dismissed by the court on July 23, 2021.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Juan Tang, 37, of Xi’an, China, charging her with visa fraud and making false statements to the FBI, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

Arraignment is set for Aug. 10 at 2:00 PM before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan.

According to court documents, Tang is alleged to have possessed a non-immigrant J-1 visa that she obtained by making false statements during the application process about her military service. When later interviewed by FBI agents, Tang also made false statements about her military service. Specifically, it is alleged that Tang is a current member of the Chinese military and falsely claimed that she had not served in the military.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, San Francisco Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heiko P. Coppola is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of visa fraud, Tang faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of making false statements, Tang faces a maximum statutory penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.