LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas woman has pleaded guilty to money laundering and immigrant smuggling charges in federal court today.
Court documents state that 46-year-old Haiyan Liao is a naturalized U.S. citizen who help others assist immigrants from China to enter the U.S. by fraudulently obtaining visitor visas.
According to court records, Liao and her co-conspirators submitted applications with false statements to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China. Then, if the applications were approved, investigators said Liao accompanied them on commercial flights to Queens and Brooklyn, New York.
They add families paid thousands of dollars to Liao to get them and their family members to the United States. Court records state Liao made nearly $100,000 from those transactions through wire transmissions from China to the United States.
Justice Department officials said Liao pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens into the United States for financial gain and money laundering conspiracy. The first charge could mean up to five years in prison while the second charge could be up to 20 years in prison.
Liao is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8.
