In New York on July 8, Jiaxuemo Zhang, a Chinese student studying in Arizona, admitted to concealing his association with a Chinese military-civil fusion institution when applying for a visa. He was sentenced by Federal Judge Richard J. Arcara and transferred to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation.
It was revealed by the Federal prosecutor Michael DiGiacomo that Zhang, a 30-year-old Chinese citizen, entered the U.S. in 2021 with an F-1 student visa to study aerospace engineering at SUNY Buffalo. However, Zhang failed to disclose his research experience at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics from 2017 to 2019 during his visa application.
The Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics is one of China’s “Seven Sons of National Defense” and a key support institution for China’s “Civil-Military Fusion Strategy.” The U.S. government, under Presidential Proclamation 10043 since 2020, prohibits Chinese citizens associated with such institutions from entering the U.S. on F or J visas to prevent the Chinese government from “exploiting students to gain sensitive U.S. technology and intellectual property”. Prosecutors stated that had Zhang truthfully reported this experience, his visa would not have been approved.
During Zhang’s visa application at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing in June 2021, he only listed his education at China University of Mining and Technology Beijing Campus, Quanzhou Fifth Middle School, and Quanzhou Experimental Middle School in his resume, omitting his affiliation with Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics where he conducted research at the Fluid Mechanics Education Department’s key laboratory and the National Laboratory of Computational Fluid Mechanics.
This false representation violates Title 18, Section 1001(a)(1) of the U.S. Code, involving “concealment of material facts by artifice, scheme, or device,” which is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Zhang entered the U.S. on August 26, 2021, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and began studying at SUNY Buffalo that fall semester. According to his LinkedIn profile, Zhang was a Master’s student researching computational fluid mechanics, high-speed fluid physics, and turbulence at SUNY Buffalo.
In December 2022, as he applied for a Ph.D. program in aerospace dynamics at Purdue University, University of Minnesota, and University of Michigan, his previous concealment of experience during the visa application came to light. FBI investigators who looked into the case pointed out that the National Laboratory of Computational Fluid Mechanics where Zhang worked was jointly established by Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Twenty-Ninth Research Institute (also known as Base 29), possessing high military sensitivity.
In his updated resume, Zhang acknowledged being guided by Deputy Director Jiang Chongwen, Professor Gao Zhenxun, and Wang Jinjun during his studies at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Zhang was arrested in the summer of 2023 and this week entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors, admitting to the above misconduct and agreeing to waive any appeals or withdrawal requests of conviction. He also fully understands the severe immigration consequences of this crime, including deportation, inadmissibility to re-enter the U.S., and potential loss of future naturalization eligibility.
The Department of Justice noted that this case was the result of a joint investigation by several U.S. agencies, including the FBI, the Diplomatic Security Service of the Department of State, and the Customs and Border Protection.