A US federal judge has revoked the American citizenship of a married couple, Li Chen and Yu Zhou, for stealing sensitive medical trade secrets and sharing them with China. The judge, James E. Simmons Jr., found that the couple had illegally obtained their citizenship. Chen and Zhou had pleaded guilty to theft of trade secrets and wire fraud, which were deemed crimes involving moral turpitude, disqualifying them from naturalization.
The judge determined that both individuals had engaged in unlawful acts reflecting poorly on their moral character, without any mitigating circumstances. Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized that gaining citizenship after committing serious crimes against the American people is an abuse of the immigration system. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate reiterated that naturalization is a privilege, not a right, and that the US system corrects abuses of its generosity.
Chen, a Chinese national, arrived in the US in 2007 on an H-1B visa and became a citizen in 2016. Zhou, who entered the US in 2005, obtained permanent residency in 2011 and naturalized in 2017. The couple, both research scientists, were arrested in 2019 for stealing medical trade secrets related to exosome isolation for personal gain.
Following their arrest, it was revealed that Chen and Zhou had financially benefited from their theft by starting a company and acquiring shares in another firm that used the stolen trade secrets. They also received funding from the People’s Republic of China’s State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs. The couple collectively received nearly $1.5 million from transactions involving the stolen intellectual property.
Chen was sentenced to 30 months in prison and Zhou to 33 months, with both facing three years of supervised release. The court also ordered them to pay over $2.6 million in restitution jointly and severally. The judge concluded that their wire fraud and broader unlawful acts justified the revocation of their citizenship.
