OC Birth Tourism Business Owner Pleads Guilty: Court

IRVINE, CA — A Chinese national pleaded guilty for her part in an Orange County-based "birth tourism" scheme, Monday, according to court records.

Dongyuan Li, 41 of Irvine, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and a count of visa fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. She was scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16.

She operated a birth tourism company in Irvine and China called "You Win USA Vacation Services Corp.," according to her plea agreement. Her company advertised that more than 500 customers had been served, according to her indictment.

Twenty upscale Irvine apartments were used to operate the business. The indictment alleged that Li's customers paid between $40,000 to $80,000 for the experience to have their babies achieve U.S. citizenship during their extended stay.

Li received $3 million in international wire transfers from China in two years, prosecutors said. She has agreed to give up more than $850,000, a Murrieta residence worth about $500,000 and several Mercedes-Benz vehicles, according to her plea agreement.

Li is just one of 19 defendants indicted in the scheme where wealthy foreign nationals arrange to have children in the U.S. to gain citizenship.