A Chinese national, Lin Fanlin, born in Beijing in 1975, appeared in court in Honolulu on Tuesday, facing criminal charges for allegedly concealing his ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army in his visa application. Lin Fanlin is scheduled to attend a detention hearing on Friday in Honolulu before Chief Federal Magistrate Kenneth J. Mansfield. The judge is expected to review the prosecution’s motion for detention without bail filed on Monday.
According to a criminal complaint filed on July 2, Lin Fanlin was arrested on July 1 at Honolulu International Airport while attempting to enter the United States. He is charged with visa fraud, misrepresentation of documents, and other offenses. In an affidavit submitted by a special agent of Homeland Security Investigations, it was revealed that Lin Fanlin was issued a 10-year B-1/B-2 visa on June 27, 2017. The B-1/B-2 visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows temporary entry to the U.S. for business, tourism, or medical purposes.
When filling out the non-immigrant visa application online in 2017, Lin Fanlin listed his occupation as the General Manager of Beijing Moze International Cultural Development Co. He also claimed to have previously served as the Deputy Director of the China Foreign Languages Bureau Education Training Center and studied physical education at Beijing Sports University.
In the visa application, there were three questions asking whether the applicant had joined any professional, social, or charity organizations, possessed special skills or received training in firearms, explosives, nuclear, biological, or chemical fields, and had served in the military. Lin Fanlin answered “no” to all three questions.
During the visa interview, Lin Fanlin described his travel purpose as cultural exchange in Hawaii. Upon Lin Fanlin’s arrival at the airport on July 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials found that his identity matched an existing record and proceeded with further questioning. Lin Fanlin admitted to CBP officials that he had studied at a military academy affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army.
The affidavit stated, “When asked why he did not disclose his attendance at a PLA-affiliated military academy on his U.S. visa application, Lin Fanlin stated that the academy had been shut down, and he was concerned it might adversely affect his visa application.”
CBP officials then searched Lin Fanlin’s phone and found a photo of a “PLA retirement certificate.” The certificate indicated that he enlisted in 1994, retired as a Colonel in 2011, and his last unit was the PLA Institute of Chemical Defense Engineering.
In addition, Lin Fanlin confessed to having served in the People’s Liberation Army and receiving basic firearms training during his service. He further admitted to being a member of the Chinese Communist Party and holding a leadership position in his local party branch.
When contacted by The Epoch Times, Lin Fanlin’s lawyer declined to comment, stating that they are awaiting the disclosure of evidence in the case. In recent years, there have been several cases of Chinese military personnel in the United States being charged with visa fraud for concealing their identities. Yanqing Ye, a PLA lieutenant, was charged with visa fraud in 2020 for misrepresenting herself as a student when applying for a J-1 visa, concealing her active military status.
According to federal criminal complaints, Yanqing Ye served as an exchange student at Boston University from October 2017 to April 2019. During her time at the university, she completed ‘multiple assignments’ for the PLA, including transmitting U.S. documents back to China. Yanqing Ye is currently on the FBI’s most-wanted list.
Beijing, July 11, 2026.