Indictment unveils complex birth tourism business web

An alleged overstaying Chinese tourist has been indicted for allegedly operating an unlicensed business that offered trip packages to the Commonwealth for pregnant Chinese women seeking to give birth on U.S. soil.

Sen Sun, also known as Sam Sun, allegedly charged each client upwards of $15,000 for services that include providing round-the-clock caregivers who were or are unauthorized to work, according to an indictment filed with the U.S. District Court for the NMI on Friday.

The indictment charged Sun with harboring illegal aliens, unlawfully employing aliens, and money laundering.

According to the indictment filed by assistant U.S. attorney Eric S. O’Malley, Sun entered the CNMI as a tourist on Jan. 8, 2014, under a status known as “conditional parole”—a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program that allows Chinese citizens to enter the CNMI temporarily without an advance visa.

The conditional parole allowed Sun to remain in the CNMI for 21 days for tourism. The permit did not authorize him to work or to start a business in the CNMI. His parole expired on Jan. 29, 2014.

It was around January 2017 that Sun began operating his trip package business, O’Malley said in the indictment.

As part of the package, Sun allegedly arranged or facilitated, among other things, transportation to and from the CNMI, transportation within the CNMI, food and accommodations, medical services via licensed clinic, and filing documents necessary to obtain U.S. passports for the newborn children.

O’Malley said the trip packages also included round-the-clock attendants or “caregivers” who would perform services for the client, such as grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and basic care of the mothers and newborn infants.

The prosecutor said Sun required his clients to bring at least $15,000 with them from China, which they would then pay to him directly, in cash, upon their arrival in the CNMI.

At any given time, Sun allegedly employed up to 30 caregivers, some if not all of whom were Chinese nationals with conditional paroles.

O’Malley said that none of the caregivers were authorized to work and some, if not all of them, stayed beyond the expiration of their conditional paroles.

While working for Sun, the caregivers allegedly lived with the clients in housing he provided. Their accommodations, food, wages, and other payments came directly from funds obtained by Sun from his Chinese clients.

O’Malley said that beginning on Jan. 3, 2017, and until Nov. 3, 2017, Sun hired aliens despite knowing they were not authorized to work.

The U.S government seeks to forfeit Sun’s assets or money.

Children born in the Commonwealth automatically obtain U.S. citizenship.