Michael Wei Yueh Liu, 59, and Jing Dong, 47, were each found guilty on one count of conspiracy and 10 counts of international money laundering.

According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, from at least January 2012 to March 2015, Liu and Dong ran a maternity house in Rancho Cucamonga. Their pregnant Chinese clients would come to the area, and waiting for them were apartments that Liu and Dong had rented across Southern California.

In addition to housing, other services Liu and Dong provided for the women were assistance on how to obtain visas to enter the United States, customs entry guidance, and transportation in the United States, as well as assistance applying for U.S. legal documents for the babies, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Liu and Dong received money from their overseas clients to promote their scheme and advised the women on how to hide their pregnancies from the immigration authorities.

“Liu and Dong also knew — or deliberately avoided learning — that their customers lied on their visa applications submitted to immigration authorities to enter the U.S.,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Generally, their customers’ visa applications falsely stated that the trip to the United States was for tourism, when it was to give birth, and the length of the stay was days or weeks when it was, in fact, months. The visas also misstated the location where the pregnant women intended to stay, the Attorney’s Office alleged.

Liu and Dong or their agents also advised the women to fly to ports of entry that the pair perceived as having less customs scrutiny before flying to Los Angeles. The women were instructed to wear loose-fitting clothing and to favor certain lines at customs; they were also told how to answer customs officials’ questions, according to the Attorney’s Office.

Liu and Dong face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy count and up to 20 years for each international money laundering count. They are scheduled for sentencing Dec. 9.

Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the FBI investigated the case. The Irvine Police Department and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department assisted.

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Authorities say the suspects operated a heroin ring between March 2017 and this April in Orange County by obtaining the drugs from suppliers in the U.S. and Mexico. Drug mules brought the heroin, sometimes concealed in their bodies, to Southern California.

Two brothers, Julio Cesar Martinez and Victor Martinez, organized the call centers and used two other defendants, Maricela Guerrero and Marla Portillo Cordova, to run the call centers and organize deliveries, according to the indictment.

At one point, a defendant didn’t mention that one of the call centers was closing early, even though more heroin was needed that day for customers.

The suspects also are accused of depositing the money in different bank accounts to avoid federal reporting requirements, an offense that dates to 2013, officials said.

Several other defendants were involved in delivering the narcotic to buyers and collecting money in exchange for a cut of the profits or heroin, the indictment alleged.

Martinez allegedly obtained the heroin from Roberto Romero Sanchez in Mexico and Victor Romero in the United States. The conspiracy allegedly involved couriers to sneak the drug from Mexico to Orange County.

The defendants are:

Julio Cesar Martinez;

Victor Martinez;

Victor Romero Jr.;

Martin Cervantes Romero;

Roberto Romero Sanchez;

Violeta Romero;

Maricela Guerrero;

Marla Portillo Cordova;

Daniel Zapien;

Erik Bright;

Megan Ellis;

Victor Moreta;

Shannon Jacobi;

Hunter Sanders;

Jose Cervantes;

Alicia Carillo Gonzalez;

Angel Cervantes;

Francisco Serrano and;

Alicia Cervantes.

Fox 11 | Contributed

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