Du Zesheng, a 41-year-old dual-passport holder of both China and the Caribbean island St. Kitts and Nevis, has been arrested for his involvement in a scheme to produce fake green cards. According to a federal filing, customs officers at the Miami International Airport found Chinese military uniforms in Du’s luggage during a routine secondary examination on Jan. 19. The uniform pieces had serial numbers and a tag with Chinese writing, indicating them to be “training uniform,” and they had buttons inscribed with the letters “PLA,” the shorthand for China’s principal military force, the People’s Liberation Army. Additionally, the uniform shirt’s left breast pocket bore an insignia resembling a pair of wings around a central shield, which law enforcement identified to be a Chinese air force badge.
This prompted customs and border protection to search Du’s three phones and a laptop, which revealed pictures of him in a Chinese air force uniform. One of the pictures showed him wearing a uniform with a badge identifying him to be an air force lieutenant colonel. Du had concealed such affiliations when applying for his non-immigrant U.S. visa, answering “no” to the question of whether he had served in the military.
The investigation further revealed extensive conversations from September 2022 through January on one of his phones with a Chinese-born U.S. permanent resident about how to create a fraudulent green card. Du used software such as Photoshop and AdobePro to edit photos of the resident’s green card and that of his son, and produced two electronic green cards for himself and his girlfriend.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is accusing Du of conspiring to unlawfully produce identification documents. If convicted, he could face a punishment of up to 15 years in prison with up to three years of supervised release, along with a maximum fine of $25,000. He would also lose any U.S. properties derived from the offense or those that had contributed to the act.