Dozens of apartments and homes were raided Tuesday in connection with "maternity tourism" schemes, which bring pregnant women stateside so they can give birth to U.S. citizens.
No arrests were expected in the more than three dozen raids that took place in Irvine, Rancho Cucamonga, Rowland Heights, and Walnut. But officials said they suspect operators of the businesses coached clients and helped provide them with false documents so they could be cleared for travel visas.
Clients are believed to have paid between $15,000 and $50,000 for the services, which tout the benefits of giving birth to U.S. citizens on websites that advertise their services.
The locations raided by federal officials Tuesday catered mostly to women from China, who were offered travel, lodging, food, and often entertainment in exchange for the fees.
Federal officials said the services were often advertised online, with the more expensive packages including trips to Disneyland and shopping malls for expectant mothers.
One business in Orange County was named "You Win USA Vacation Resort," and another in Rancho Cucamonga was known as "USA Happy Baby, Inc."
Also known as "birthing tourism," homes catering to pregnant women have been found in previous years in California and New York.
The services are often targeted toward wealthy Chinese residents, and though some cities have shut down the businesses for local code violations, many previous raids have not resulted in criminal charges.
One luxury apartment building in Irvine — located just minutes away from golf courses and an airport — included a dozen units involved in the "maternity tourism" business, according to court documents.
Investigators believe the businesses have been operating for years, but that evidence gathered during the raids would be used to further ongoing investigations.
Women interviewed in the raids would be identified as potential witnesses, an official said.
According to court documents, the homes and apartment buildings searched Tuesday were connected to investigations into marriage fraud, conspiracy, misuse of visas, tax evasion, and failure to report foreign bank accounts.
In one of the affidavits, officials allege two Chinese nationals operating out of Orange County committed visa fraud by bringing women to the United States and misrepresenting the purpose of their visas.
Court documents state the women were given housing for three months to cover the end of the pregnancy and birth, transportation to nearby hospitals, and obtaining birth certificates and passports for their U.S.-born children.
The women were allegedly charged up to $80,000 for the services.
Websites advertising the business touted U.S. education, citizenship, and health care as benefits of the services.
The affidavit suggests that the enterprise can generate millions of dollars.
Court documents state one of the business operators received more than $500,000 in wire transfers from China in 2013 alone. Another allegedly received $1.5 million.