Former CEO Of Local University Sentenced To 12 Months Imprisonment For Submitting False Documents To Department Of Homeland Security

SAN JOSE- Jerry Wang, the Chief Executive Officer of Herguan University in Sunnyvale, California, was sentenced yesterday to 12 months’ imprisonment for submitting false documents to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), announced Acting United States Attorney Brian Stretch and Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Ryan L. Spradlin.

On July 24, 2012, Jerry Wang, 34, of Santa Clara, was indicted on fifteen charges arising out of a visa fraud scheme in connection with Herguan University.  The superseding indictment filed October 30, 2014, alleges that, starting in July 2007, Wang and others caused Herguan to submit fraudulent documents to DHS’s Student and Visitor Exchange Program (SEVP) in support of a petition to admit foreign students.  Wang was charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; aiding and abetting visa fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1546; aiding and abetting unauthorized access of a government computer, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a); use of false documents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(3); and aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A.

“Jerry Wang has admitted submitting over one hundred fraudulent documents to the government in an effort to circumvent the rules applying to international students,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch.  “In doing so, he has imperiled the programs that allow international students to visit the United States in order to engage in valuable educational exchanges.”

“International students represent an invaluable asset to our nation. We’re committed to working with our government partners and with educators to enable legitimate students to pursue their studies here,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Francisco.  “However, HSI will aggressively target those who commit student visa fraud out of greed and self-interest. Their actions undermine the integrity of this country’s immigration laws and it will not be tolerated.”

Wang pleaded guilty on April 9, 2015, to one false document count, specifically submitting a fraudulent Academic Warning Letter to DHS, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(3).  As part of his plea, he also admitted participating in the scheme to commit visa fraud, involving more than one hundred immigration-related documents known as “Forms I-20,” as well as aiding and abetting the unauthorized access of a DHS computer database.

The Honorable Edward J. Davila, U.S. District Judge, sentenced Wang on September 14, 2015.  The sentence included the criminal forfeiture of $700,000 and three years of supervised release.  Wang has been ordered to self-surrender and begin serving his prison term by November 3, 2015.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hartley M. K. West and Maia T. Perez are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Helen Yee, Natachiana Williams, Rosario Calderon, and Trina Khadoo.  This prosecution is the result of an investigation by Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF) overseen by HSI.  The DBFTF is a multi-agency task force that coordinates investigations related to fraud schemes involving immigration documents and benefits.