A lawyer who turned fugitive after being indicted for visa fraud has been extradited from a Central Asian country to face charges in San Jose, federal prosecutors said.
Danhong “Jean” Chen, 60, formerly of Atherton, was the first extradition from the Kyrgyz Republic to the U.S. on federal criminal charges, according to the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.
Chen, also known as Maria Sofia Taylor, and Jianyun “Tony” Ye, her ex-husband and business partner, were indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2019 on visa fraud and related crimes to obtain immigration benefits for more than 100 wealthy foreign investors through the EB-5 visa program.
Participants can get permanent residency or “green cards” by financing a U.S. business for at least $1,050,000 in rural or high-unemployment areas that will eventually employ at least 10 American workers, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. Chen’s office represented clients who invested about $52 million, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint in October 2018 alleging that Chen improperly solicited investments and committed other violations. Chen immediately left the U.S., prosecutors said. She was arrested in the Kyrgyz Republic at the request of the U.S.
Her ex-husband and partner, Ye, pleaded guilty to visa fraud and obstruction in 2021. He served time in federal prison and has been released from custody, prosecutors said.
Chen is accused of falsifying documents that contained false signatures and falsely described how applicants would qualify for the EB-5 program. She is also accused of obstruction of justice by demanding a person give false answers to SEC investigators and delete emails relevant to SEC and FBI investigators.