Chinese Nationals Caught Using Stolen US Passports at OC Airport
Two Chinese nationals were arrested at John Wayne Airport after attempting to enter the U.S. with fraudulent American passports, leading to federal charges.
Two Chinese nationals have been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to enter the United States using the identities of American citizens and fraudulent passports. Jin Fu Wei, 44, and Xiaodan Lei, 47, were detained on August 26 after arriving at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, on a flight from Mexico.
According to federal prosecutors, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers flagged the individuals when facial recognition technology failed to match their biometric data with the information associated with the U.S. passports they presented. Neither man’s name appeared on the flight manifest.
"This case is not only a criminal matter. It also raises serious national security concerns when foreign citizens are able to enter the United States under false identities. We have a right to know exactly who is crossing our borders and what their intentions are," stated First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli.
During their detention, investigators reportedly found that Wei was in possession of a Chinese credit card and bank card bearing his own name, as well as an expired Texas driver’s license belonging to the American citizen whose passport he allegedly used. The two men told investigators that an unknown individual communicating via WeChat had arranged their trip to Mexico and assisted them in obtaining the American passports. They claimed they did not know each other prior to the journey.
Their account detailed a passport exchange in Mexico, where they allegedly purchased U.S. passports from an unidentified person and surrendered their own Chinese passports to the same individual. The plan, according to their statements, was to contact the WeChat intermediary after entering the U.S. to arrange the return of their Chinese documents in exchange for the American passports.
Prosecutors noted that the scheme involved the identities of real American citizens. While Wei and Lei claimed ignorance of the passport holders' identities, authorities indicated that at least one of the Americans whose passport was allegedly used had a prior arrest record. Both men remain in federal custody and face charges of misuse of a passport. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.