A Woodland Hills man pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges stemming from a scheme to help Chinese nationals obtain student visas by hiring people to take their English proficiency tests for them.
Liu Cai, 24, is among six defendants charged with using doctored People’s Republic of China passports to impersonate various Chinese nationals at testing locations in and around Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Cai, who is himself living in the United States on a student visa, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to two counts of using a false passport and agreed not to contest removal to China.
Each of the two felonies carry 10-year maximum prison sentences, but prosecutors agreed to recommend a prison term of no more than 14 months at sentencing on Feb. 13, court documents show.
Cai took at least five TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) exams in the names of others. Prosecutors said he registered 14 Chinese nationals for the exams in 2015 and 2016 and paid co-defendants for achieving passing scores.
To obtain a student visa, foreign citizens have to apply to study at a school authorized by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Many of those schools require foreign citizens whose first language is not English to certify proficiency in the language by getting a particular score on the TOEFL exam.
Prosecutors said dozens of Chinese nationals took advantage of the scheme.
Cai and four other California residents were charged in March in a 26-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles. A sixth defendant who lives in Taiwan pleaded guilty last month to the false passports charge and is set to be sentenced in January.