Thread by @MsMariaT

Former Chinese Official, Jianjun Qiao, Extradited to the US to Face Charges of Laundering Millions of Dollars of Stolen Money #DOJ #Philadelphia #EB5Scams justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/f…

"The same project in Philadelphia also helped to secure perm residency for Qiao Jianjun, a Chinese gov't official accused of embezzling more than $40 million..."

Suspected of Corruption at Home, Powerful Foreigners Find Refuge in the U.S. #EB5VisaScams

propublica.org/article/corrup…

(Trump's friend/biz assoc, former pres Martinelli, is in there, too. 👆 He was accused of looting the school lunch program in Panama.)

"Qiao had divorced his wife, Shilan Zhao, in China in 2001, a fact he did not disclose to U.S. immigration authorities. When Zhao applied for an EB-5 visa, Qiao qualified for U.S. permanent residency as an applicant’s spouse." #EB5VisaScams

"A trial has been set for February 2017. U.S. government attorneys have filed asset forfeiture cases to recover real estate linked to Qiao and Zhao in Flushing, New York, and Monterey Park, California."

(He was on the run, so no trial in 2017.)

"In 4/15, Qiao appeared onthe Chinese gov'ts list of 100 “most wanted” officials who fled abroad after being accused of crimes such as bribery and corruption. He and 39 other government officials and state-owned enterprise leaders on the list allegedly fled to the U.S."

6/1, DOJ:

"Jianjun Qiao (喬建軍), 56, arrived at LAX after being extradited by Sweden. Qiao was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Svc and was held in federal custody over the weekend. He is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in USDC-LA."

justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/f…

Press release mentions Monterey Park property, yet not NY. Kinda interesting.

Because they were looking at MP AND NY properties, previously.

https://twitter.com/MsMariaT/status/1267581560603041794

"Zhao lived in Newcastle but also owned a condo in Flushing, N.Y., and several properties in Southern California, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The Monterey Park, Calif., properties have a combined value of $28 million, according to the L.A. Times"

seattletimes.com/seattle-news/c…

"Ex-wife of fugitive Chinese official will forfeit millions of dollars worth of San Gabriel Valley property in visa fraud case"

"...Zhao will forfeit ownership of a home in Newcastle, a condo in Flushing, NY and four properties in Monterey Park..."

latimes.com/local/lanow/la…

He was first indicted 7/14. Would need to go back through the Complaint and look at which reg #EB5Visa hub he went though.

"A federal grand jury in 7/14 indicted Qiao and his ex-wife, alleging two separate schemes. A superseding indictment against Qiao returned in 12/18." DOJ

Ex wife pled guilty in 2017 and "agreed to forfeit her interest in several parcels in Monterey Park; a house in Newcastle, Washington; and a condominium in Flushing, New York."

justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/f…

INDICTMENT filed as to Jianjun Qiao (1) count(s) 1, 3, Shilan Zhao (2) count(s) 1, 2, 3. (7/9/14)

courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…

(Only a Newcastle, WA property is mentioned here. Will look for an amended C, adding charges/locs.)

The I-829 was made in L.A., thus the jurisdiction. "The I-829 petition is the final step of the EB-5 visa process for immigrant investors to become lawful permanent residents of the United States." - EB5Investors .com

(Pause for now.)