Dozens of Central Asian citizens are being unceremoniously deported from the United States as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Less publicized, however, is the fact that Kyrgyzstan recently extradited an American citizen to face a 14-count indictment stemming from an alleged “green card” scam in California.

A statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California on March 7 said Kyrgyzstan returned Danhong “Jean” Chen, also known as Maria Sofia Taylor, to stand trial on federal felony charges, including fraud, obstruction of justice and identity theft. Chen allegedly conspired to commit “visa fraud and related crimes to obtain immigration benefits for more than 100 foreign investors through the government’s employment-based immigration fifth preference, or ‘EB-5,’ visa program.”

Chen, an attorney who operated a law office that handled immigration cases, is believed to have fled the United States and settled in Kyrgyzstan in late 2018 or early 2019 after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint that “Chen improperly solicited investments and committed other violations of law.”  A Federal Grand Jury issued an indictment in March 2019. Chen’s husband, Jianyun “Tony” Ye, was also named as a defendant in the case. Ye subsequently pleaded guilty and served a one-year prison sentence.

The EB-5 program enables foreign nationals to obtain permanent residency in the United States by investing in qualifying US businesses. The indictment alleges that Chen falsified documents to facilitate improper investments. The US Attorney’s Office statement noted that the Justice Department “appreciates the cooperation and assistance provided by the KyrgyzRepublic’s General Prosecutor’s Office” in securing Chen’s extradition.