Biden DOJ Drops Charges Against China Military Members Accused of Lying to Get Jobs at U.S. Universities

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dropped charges against five members of the Chinese military whom federal prosecutors previously accused of lying to obtain visas to get jobs and a doctoral spot at United States universities.

Late last week, prosecutors wrote in a court brief that they would be dropping their criminal cases against China military members Juan Tang, Chen Song, Kaikai Zhao, and Guan Lei — all of whom had been accused of fraudulently obtaining visas to secure roles at U.S. universities in California and Indiana.

DOJ officials told the Wall Street Journal that the department dropped the visa fraud charges after a re-review of the cases and justified the move, saying the Chinese nationals had already served months in federal prison while awaiting trial:

A senior Justice Department official said the punishment for the crimes the researchers were charged with usually amounted to around a few months in prison, and the defendants had all been detained or under other restrictions in the U.S. since their arrest a year ago. That led the agency to determine that further litigation in the group of cases would unnecessarily prolong their departure from the U.S. and that their situations since their arrests amounted to sufficient punishment and deterrence. 

A Justice Department spokesman said “recent developments” in the cases had prompted the department to re-evaluate the prosecutions. “We have determined that it is now in the interest of justice to dismiss them,” the spokesman, Wyn Hornbuckle, said, adding that the agency “continues to place a very high priority on countering the threat posed to American research security and academic integrity by the PRC government’s agenda and policies.” PRC is an abbreviation for People’s Republic of China. 

The five Chinese nationals were arrested in July and August of last year as part of a federal crackdown on China military members fraudulently obtaining visas to the U.S. by hiding their ties to the Chinese military, known formally as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

In criminal complaints, prosecutors detailed the charges against each Chinese national:

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