Thread: Another charge against lawyer; did he help Chinese women give birth in U.S.?

Another charge against lawyer; did he help Chinese women give birth in U.S.?

POSTED BY ALEXANDER NGUYEN ON JULY 29, 2015

Photo via Pixabay

An Irvine-based immigration attorney was facing another obstruction of justice charge Wednesday in a case involving a crackdown on a scheme to help Chinese nationals give birth in America to establish U.S. citizenship.

A third count of obstruction of justice was added Wednesday to a grand jury indictment against Ken Zhiyi Liang.

Liang, 38, was earlier charged with taking a $6,000 bribe to help a witness leave the country illegally.

To avoid being prosecuted, she agreed to help investigators, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Yang.

Liang indicated in wiretapped conversations with his client that he had unique knowledge of how to evade authorities when leaving the country, Yang said in a court hearing on Liang’s bail in May.

On May 8 and May 12, Liang is accused of instructing the witness to delete text and WeChat messages on her phone. On May 12, Liang allegedly instructed his client to communicate through WeChat and to get a prepaid cellphone, according to the indictment.

Liang is also accused of telling his client to “continue reporting weekly to (U.S. pretrial services) after arriving in the People’s Republic of China,” on May 12, according to the indictment.

On May 14, he allegedly directed the witness to buy an airplane ticket from an airline based out of the U.S., according to the indictment.

At a hearing in federal court on April 17, Liang was removed as the other woman’s attorney over his objections, but their association did not end, according to court documents.

As Liang was allegedly helping her get transport back to China, she was secretly working for investigators who set up a sting, according to an affidavit filed by an agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The woman, whose name was not disclosed, was not allowed to leave the country because she was deemed a “material witness” in the investigation of the so-called birthing houses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Liang is also accused of agreeing to help the witness’ mother and child get out of the country, as well.

Liang allegedly told the woman “to delete the communications on her cellular phone, and that he would maintain that he was not her attorney,” according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement affidavit.

In an interview with investigators, Liang denied trying to do anything illegal to help his client leave the country.

On April 30, federal charges were filed against 10 Chinese nationals in the case — all of whom have fled the country.

http://mynewsla.com/orange-county/20...ration-scheme/

POSTED BY DEBBIE L. SKLAR ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 IN OC

An Irvine-based immigration attorney will go on trial before a federal judge in Santa Ana Tuesday on charges of obstructing justice in a case involving a crackdown on a scheme to help Chinese nationals give birth in America to establish U.S. citizenship.

Ken Zhiyi Liang is charged in a three-count indictment on conspiracy to obstruct justice.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford will preside over the case with no jury and rule on whether Liang is guilty or innocent. The judge will hear wiretap recordings of the defendant that prosecutors say are about 3.5 hours long.

Liang, 38, is accused of taking a $6,000 bribe to help a witness leave the country illegally. To avoid prosecution, the witness agreed to help investigators, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Yang.

On May 8 and May 12, Liang is accused of instructing the witness to delete text and WeChat messages on her phone. On May 12, Liang allegedly instructed his client to communicate through WeChat and to get a prepaid cellphone, according to an indictment.

Liang is also accused of telling his client to “continue reporting weekly to (U.S. pretrial services) after arriving in the People’s Republic of China” on May 12, according to the indictment.

On May 14, he allegedly directed the witness to buy an airplane ticket from an airline based out of the U.S., according to the indictment.

At a hearing in federal court on April 17, Liang was removed as another woman’s attorney over his objections, but their association did not end, according to court documents.

As Liang was allegedly helping her get transport back to China, she was secretly working for investigators who set up a sting, according to an affidavit filed by an agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The woman, whose name was not disclosed, was not allowed to leave the country because she was deemed a “material witness” in the investigation of the so-called birthing houses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Liang is also accused of agreeing to help the witness’ mother and child get out of the country, as well.

Liang allegedly told the woman “to delete the communications on her cellular phone, and that he would maintain that he was not her attorney,” according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement affidavit.

In an interview with investigators, Liang denied trying to do anything illegal to help his client leave the country.

On April 30, federal charges were filed against 10 Chinese nationals in the case — all of whom have fled the country.

http://mynewsla.com/orange-county/20...-birth-in-u-s/

I'm going to try to get this story submitted in local media. Usually there would not be much hope, but lots of people are fed up with this c--p. Also, once again stories like this need to be submitted to critical and important Congressional Committees. By sending information and views to these aides, they will submit them to the Chairmen. More people need to do this, since citizen communications can get buried within the official business and communications:
homeland.security@mail.house.gov (for Michael McCaul)
anna.bartlett@mail.house.gov (for Trey Gowdy)
nicolas.hagen@mail.house.gov (for Bob Goodlatte)
whistleblower@judiciary-rep.senate.gov (for Chuck Grassley)
http://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/pub...ex.cfm/contact (contact form for Sen. Ron Johnson, US Senate Homeland Security)