Immigration agents are bleak.

Many China applicants are misled by propaganda and mistakenly think that they can get a green card as long as they have money and projects, but they don't know that the most important thing for investment immigrants is to meet the requirements of relevant immigration laws before they can get a green card, and the second is to consider the return on investment. If you believe in the myth of return on investment, not only will you not get a green card, but even your investment money may be lost. It's a real loss of wife and soldiers. Many EB projects that were hotly debated in China earlier had many cases of complete failure. For example, the Elmont and Victory Valley regional centers, which were shut down by the Immigration Bureau because of deep lawsuits, proved to be "shocking scams" of the Chicago Convention Center project. I believe it is enough to alert investors to choose carefully.

On the occasion of the coming of the new year, the editor of French Friends specially selected the most typical EB-5 cases reported by this website in the past few years, and compiled a review article by lawyers of French Friends for readers' reference.

First, from popular immigration projects to multi-billion-dollar scams: the end of the Chicago Convention Center.

A father and son, struggling to run a hotel in Chicago, turned into a hotel management family under the sole responsibility of the China immigration agency. They ambitiously raised $250 million from China to build a conference center, attracting generous donations from 250 immigrant investors. In response to questions from all parties, the project claimed to be a rumor from competitors. Two years later, the SEC really accused him of fraud, and the investor's immigration plan fell through; This process is not thoughtless.

With the fraud of the Chicago Convention Center exposed, the SEC applied to the court for an order to freeze the US$ 65,438+047,65,438+005,946.03 remitted by investors of the Chicago Convention Center to the two custody accounts of the Center in SunTrust Bank since 2065,438+065,438+0. 20 13, 19 on April 9, the trial judge for the eastern district of Illinois, Amy J. St. Eve, signed a refund order, asking the custodian bank to refund the investors.

Chicago Convention Center Project, Fayou. Com raised strong doubts as early as 201165438+February, and continued to follow up the reports. Judging from the feedback received from readers, quite a few people have avoided falling into this huge scam, which is really fortunate in misfortune.

Click here to view the latest report on the case of Chicago Convention Center.

2. The Elmont Regional Center has been closed, and the original developer is still recruiting investors in China.

On 2011September 19, the US Federal Immigration Service officially ordered the termination of the EB-5 regional center in Elmont, California. Since its establishment, the center has been exposed to many financial scandals, and the management has fallen into chaos. The authorities believe that its current situation is no longer in line with the original intention of "providing employment opportunities and revitalizing the local economy". This is undoubtedly a disastrous example of the failure of EB-5 investment immigration project. Shortly before the closure of the regional center, the original developer of the transit village in the regional center also recruited investment immigrants in China under the banner of the local government. Many innocent people may have been cheated.

The regional center of Ai City was mired in litigation, because two senior executives in the mass transit village were arrested for corruption, and the municipal government tried to cut off their contact, only to trigger a lawsuit. China real estate tycoon who died halfway claimed 654.38 million+0.8 million. At the same time, there are still China websites claiming that the Elmont Regional Center "enjoys all-round government support" and "investors' funds can be highly protected" to recruit people who are interested in investing in EB-5 projects.

According to the survey, during the three years of the existence of the Elmont Regional Center, only two overseas investors actually invested in the center, and one of them obtained a conditional green card. However, after the center is closed, it is impossible for investors to obtain a permanent green card for this project.

Looking back at the history of the Ai City Regional Center, readers can understand that the behind-the-scenes management of a grand plan involving a reconstruction project of $654.38+$200 million is so chaotic. In the future, when choosing investment immigration projects, you may be more cautious and less risky.

Click here to view the latest report on the case of the Elmont Regional Center.

Third, the myth of EB-5 investment immigrants was shattered: the Victory Valley Regional Center advertised as "government guarantee" was finally closed.

An EB-5 investment immigration project suspended for less than a year attracted about 20 investors to spend nearly 10 million dollars with attractive advertisements. Although the municipal government tried to save the defeat, the above funds were inevitably wasted. Investors can't get a green card or get their investment back, and the Immigration Bureau has made it clear that they won't ask for a refund ... All this is tantamount to a nightmare of investment immigration, but it really happened in Victorville, California.

Victory Valley Regional Center was approved to be established in July 2009. Since then, 19 investors have participated in this project, each paying $500,000. The municipal government plans to use this money to repay the restricted funds owed by a barely supported wastewater treatment plant near the logistics airport in Southern California. Unexpectedly, in June 20 10, the Immigration Bureau terminated the investment immigration project on the grounds of "inconsistent materials and facts", which was the first time in the United States.

Since then, although the municipal government filed a lawsuit against the Immigration Bureau, it has long been "overwhelmed" and had to withdraw the lawsuit halfway because of financial difficulties and high legal fees required to sue the federal government. This means that 19 investors in the project not only can't get their money back, but also their desire to get a green card has failed, which can be described as complete despair.

The victory valley project has been stopped by the federal government for a long time, but the related fund-raising advertisements can still be seen on the internet, but the truth of this matter is rarely reported in newspapers; I would like to remind the vast number of potential immigrants to carefully choose immigration agents, and it is best to hire professional immigration lawyers to consult on investment immigration matters, and pay more attention to the relevant reports of reliable American Chinese media such as French friends. Com to avoid being cheated.

Click here to view the latest report on the case of Victory Valley Regional Center.

Fourth, the large EB-5 project South Dakota beef processing plant declared bankruptcy, and the investment was difficult to recover, which sounded the alarm.

20 13 In July, a large EB-5 investment and immigration project, North Beef Packaging Co., Ltd. (NBP, hereinafter referred to as North Beef Factory) was heavily in debt due to business failure, and filed a bankruptcy application with the court according to Chapter 1 1 of the Bankruptcy Law. However, it is difficult to recover the 80 million funds of more than 60 foreign investors (mostly from China) in this project, and they have no chance to get a green card, because this project simply cannot meet the requirements of creating enough jobs for the United States.

According to EB-5 laws and regulations, each investor must create 10 jobs for the United States to qualify for a green card; Based on the investor scale of North Beef Factory 160, the factory should at least create 1600 jobs for the local area; However, the actual situation is that in April of 20 13, due to lack of funds, the factory has laid off employees 108, leaving only 300 people. At that time, the manager of the factory also expressed "confidence" to tide over the difficulties. Now, after filing for bankruptcy, there are only six employees left in the factory to supervise the bankruptcy procedure, with more than $0.0 million in arrears in water and electricity charges/kloc-0.0, and more than 200 creditors' debts to be paid off.

It is worth noting that although promoters are unwilling to admit it, most EB-5 projects are inherently poor. Imagine: if the project can raise funds from normal channels, why promote it to foreign investors through the US Department of Homeland Security? If the project just wants to raise funds from abroad and can recruit an interpreter to publish advertisements, then why use "investment immigrants" to attract attention? In fact, no one wants to invest in such a project, because their prospects are not optimistic, so the project side has to take EB-5 as the last choice. This also explains why the risk of EB-5 investment is often greater than other types of investment.

Click here to view the latest report on the case of the South Dakota Regional Center.

The lawsuit-ridden overseas intermediary in the Maryland government center still claims "zero risk" to attract wealth and harm people.

20 12 February, the EB-5 project (State Center, Baltimore) with a total value of1500 million dollars and a plan to raise 230 million dollars from hundreds of investors fell into a lawsuit quagmire after several years of construction, and the lawsuit is still pending; However, the cooperative fund-raisers of the regional center still advertise overseas, emphasizing that the project is "zero risk" and can invest with confidence.

The cause of the incident is that at the end of 2009, many commercial real estate owners near the state government center project submitted complaints to the court, claiming that the Maryland government failed to comply with the government procurement regulations in the project and failed to bid publicly in the process of selecting developers. At the same time, it questioned the significance of building a state government center, and pointed out in the complaint that the new center would lead to the loss of a large number of government jobs, thus increasing the vacancy rate in the downtown business district of Baltimore.

Peter Franchot, the controller of Baltimore, has announced that he will withdraw his support for EB-5 project, saying that the state government center project is taking risks with taxpayers' money, which may lead to heavy debts in the future and damage the state's financial situation. The local media in Maryland frequently use the word "controversial" to describe the state government center project, and mentioned that the above problems have aroused public concern.

At the same time, the fund-raising partners in Asia DC Regional Center and other places are still promoting this project in high profile, and attracting investors with words such as "zero risk" and "government support", without mentioning the real situation of the project.

Click here to view the latest report of the Maryland government center case.

6. The EB-5 project of the New Orleans Regional Center was accused of fraud, and many investors faced identity invalidation.

20 12 April, 27 EB-5 visa project investors filed a lawsuit against two directors of the New Orleans Regional Center, demanding that the Center immediately provide the accounting report of its investment destination and the solution of the plaintiff's residence status in the United States; According to the complaint, the manager of the center violated the obligations of the trustee, mismanaged and misappropriated a large amount of investment, which constituted fraud, and the investor could not obtain a green card or would face repatriation.

The plaintiff in this case is 27 investors in the New Orleans Regional Center, most of whom are Asians. The defendants were William Hungerford and Tim Millbras, the leaders of the center. According to the complaint, the defendant's illegal acts include: gross mismanagement, violation of the trustee's obligations, intentional intervention in the contract, misappropriation of fund property and unjust enrichment.

The plaintiff pointed out in the complaint that the Nobel Ritchie -NOLA investment immigration project operated by the two defendants was only used as a tool to commit fraud and transfer property for personal use, and there was no other legal business except serving the defendant's illegal behavior; Noble Outreach Original Partners LLC founded by the defendant is an out-and-out fraud company; The two defendants not only concealed the true financial report about the center, but also took the property of the fund as their own, and also deliberately provided misleading false statements, which made the plaintiff have an illusion about the profitability of the projects operated by the fund.

Click here to view the latest report on the case of the New Orleans Regional Center.

Seven, eighteen investors sued the US Immigration Service, claiming that10 million green card investment was in vain.

18 investors from China, Malaysia, South Korea, Viet Nam, Britain, India, Iran, Canada and the Netherlands took the US Department of Homeland Security to court on September 20 12, claiming that they failed to obtain green cards after investing11500,000 dollars to create employment opportunities for nearly 300 Americans.

According to eighteen investors, they set up a limited partnership, raised nearly US$ 6,543,802, invested in repairing abandoned offices and warehouses in He Bin County, and created at least 278 employment opportunities for American workers. Just as the plaintiff had attracted 23 investors and raised 1 1.5 million, just as the plaintiff was about to invest 600,000 yuan to improve and spend 2.4 million yuan to buy adjacent land, the Homeland Security Bureau suddenly rejected their formal green card application, which dashed their dream of emigration.

The reason why the government rejected the plaintiff's application was that the project effect could not meet the expected standard, the plaintiff's partnership did not buy the industry or spend money on repair, the enterprise funds were deposited in the escrow account, and the plaintiff's assets were not used for operation and repair, and so on. The authorities are deeply skeptical about whether all the plaintiff's funds can actually be used for commercial operations and generate profits. However, the plaintiff believes that the reason for the government's veto cannot be established, and the real reason is only the "lack of trust" between the two sides.

Click here to view the latest reports of investors suing the Immigration Bureau.

Eight, Texas regional center financial difficulties. Investment funds are "guaranteed" or the green card is rejected.

The EB-5 regional center in northern Texas was approved by the Immigration Bureau on 20 10 and 10, and a letter of support issued by Dallas City Councillors and state legislatures was also posted on its website. The company's brochure paints a beautiful blueprint for foreign investors: the investment fund will be managed by experienced professionals engaged in commercial real estate; A multi-million dollar project in the farmer sector is expected to be completed within two years.

But the regional center is now in financial trouble. The Armed Forces Bank sued Steven A. Shelley, one of the executives of the regional center, and two employees of the company in federal court. The bank lawyer said that the defendant set up a shell company "FRE Real Estate Company" on June 5438+0 1, and then filed for bankruptcy to avoid outstanding debts.

Lawyer Fayou's comments: There are a series of problems in many investment immigration regional centers in the United States, including financial difficulties and false propaganda, and the ultimate victims of these problems are investors, who are not only faced with the dilemma of not getting their money back, but also the green card application is likely to be unsuccessful.

Click here to view the latest report on the bankruptcy of Texas Regional Center.

9. Doubts about EB-5 project of Gulf Investment Fund: 9 1 investor, only 1 person got the green card, and the director of immigration himself was investigated.

20 13 on July 23rd, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Alejandro Mayorkas, the director of the U.S. Federal Immigration Service, was facing an investigation by the FBI for participating in an EB-5 investment immigration project. According to the only official information, the authorities suspect that Makaos helped a China company executive obtain an EB-5 investment immigrant visa, which was run by the younger brother of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. At present, there is no detailed information about this matter, but as far as the director of immigration is under investigation and Hillary's brother is involved in the case, it is enough to imply the seriousness of this matter.

EB-5 Gulf Coast Funds Management LLC, an American regional center run by Hillary Rodman, raised $45.5 million, but only 1 out of 9/kloc-0 investors got a green card. The SEC recently obtained the relevant investment documents of the regional center through the court, suspecting that the regional center misled investors by exaggerating returns.

Lawyer Fa Youyang pointed out: Due to the cultural and institutional differences between China and China, people are often willing to spend a lot of money to find a "relationship", thinking that everything can be settled when the "relationship" is in place. This case and countless China people who want to do things by "connections" in the United States ended up in a dead end, spending money to buy deportation.

Click here to view the latest report on the Gulf Investment Fund case.

Eddy Zai, the owner of the X.EB-5 Regional Center, was convicted of bribery and fraud and sentenced to 87 months in prison.

A Eddy Zai, the president of the EB-5 regional center in Cleveland, Ohio, who was widely publicized in China and made a lot of money, was formally charged by the federal grand jury on February 12, and was charged with 37 counts of fraud, bribery, money laundering and false statement. He was sentenced to 87 months' imprisonment plus 5 years' parole, 20 13 months. Federal prosecutors described his crime as "causing the collapse of the largest credit union in history."

The prosecution mentioned that Zahi used The Cleveland Group LLC under his name and more than a dozen companies under his control to commit fraud, many of which had no legal business at all, but were just tools used by Zahi to defraud and transfer loans.

Before his conviction, Eddy Zai had come to China for many times to give speeches on investment immigration projects, raised tens of millions of dollars for these projects, and publicized EB-5 projects including Cleveland University Hospital. Up to now, a large number of Chinese advertisements for the above investment projects can still be searched on the Internet. Some officials mentioned that Zahi was a criminal who defrauded a bank and obtained the highest single loan in American history. Now he has been severely punished and his property has been confiscated, which he deserves.

Legal friend's comment: It is not difficult to see from this case that the management personnel of EB-5 investment and immigration center are mixed, and there are many financial fraud felons like Eddy Zai; Investors should not be deceived by their boastful appearance, but should be carefully screened to avoid losses.

Click here to view the latest report on the heavy penalty case of the person in charge of the regional center.

Do the above ten typical EB-5 investment immigration cases inspire you? According to many years' experience in EB-5 cases, lawyers from France and Friends summed up three tips: hire independent lawyers, avoid intermediaries and don't trust guarantees. Hiring a senior lawyer with rich successful experience is the key guarantee for the success of investment immigrants. A good lawyer can not only make perfect application materials for you, but also identify the project quality, investigate the project background and prevent immigration fraud. If your application fails and the investment money cannot be recovered, a good lawyer can help you recover the investment money and even get compensation.