U.S. court tries Chinese woman for immigration fraud, money laundering

Zhao Shilan, ex-wife of former Chinese government official Qiao Jianjun, attempts to avoid reporters' cameras outside a court in Los Angeles, U.S., on May 19, 2015. In March, the U.S. Justice Department indicted Qiao, a former director of a Chinese state-run grain storage facility in central China, and Zhao Shilan for allegedly funnelling stolen money into the United States and obtaining U.S. visas fraudulently. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

A Chinese woman has made her first court appearance in the US city of Los Angeles on charges of immigration fraud and money laundering.

Zhao Shilan is the ex-wife of a wanted former Chinese official who remains at-large.

Her huband, Qiao Jianjun is also facing immigration and money laundering charges in Los Angeles.

US prosecutors say the pair laundered money from China to buy properties in Seattle.

David Benowitz, a US lawyer, explains during an interview with China Central Televison how the money will be traced:

"When they trace the money, they will probably start on both ends of transaction. They will be looking at what happed in China, try to get records from companies or businesses involved there. They will look at how the money mad its way to the United States whether by wire, by cheque, or by whatever means. And then they'll look at all the records in the United States. So they'll look at emails, text messages, phone records. They'll look at documents and interview people involved in real estate transaction to figure out how this supposedly happened."

Gao Bo with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says Zhao Shilan has two options in front of her.

"One is that she stands trial and serves her time in the United States if found guilty, then returns to China after serving the sentence. The other choice is that through plea bargaining or cooperation with the US Justice Department, she is repatriated to China to stand trial here."

Qiao Jianjun currently sits number-3 on the list of 100 wanted Chinese fugitives still abroad.