SANTA ANA – (INT) - Ten Chinese nationals who fled from the US have been charged with violating federal court orders to remain in this country during investigations into “Chinese maternity houses”. Those establishments allegedly helped women come to the U.S. on fraudulent visas so they could give birth to children who would become U.S. citizens.

Criminal complaints were filed in Federal Court in Santa Ana Thursday.

Nine of the defendants once lived in Rancho Cucamonga. All are fugitives and are believe to be in China at this time.

All but one of the defendants were customers of Chinese maternity house operations in Southern California who paid up to $50,000 to obtain temporary visitor’s visas for authorization to travel to the United States by fraudulently claiming their stay was only for several days, according to court documents.

Story Date: May 4, 2015