Two Chinese nationals charged with using stolen U.S. passports

Two Chinese nationals, Jin Fu Wei and Xiaodan Lei, have been charged with passport misuse after attempting to enter the United States using stolen or borrowed American passports. The individuals were intercepted at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, following a commercial flight from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico.

Security protocols, including facial recognition scans and biometric checks, flagged the discrepancy between the defendants and the identities presented in the passports. Additionally, neither individual appeared on the official flight manifest. During searches, investigators recovered items linking Wei to his true identity, including Chinese bank cards and an expired Texas driver’s license belonging to the American whose passport was allegedly used.

Federal prosecutors stated that the defendants claimed an unknown individual contacted them via WeChat to arrange the trip and procure the documents. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli noted that the incident raises serious national security concerns regarding foreign citizens entering the country under false identities.