Woman accused of luring Chinese, Indian students to fake N.J. college indicted

She is accused of charging foreigners to enroll in a false university in order to stay in the United States

NEWARK -- A New York City woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with an alleged student visa scam unearthed when authorities created a fake university.

Ting Xue, 28, faces one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and seven counts of visa fraud.  

Xue, a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Flushing, N.Y., is accused of using her consulting service to convince foreigners to sign up for the fake school in order to keep or obtain student and foreign worker visas.

What she didn't know was U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials had created the false "pay-to-stay" University of Northern New Jersey in Cranford to catch recruiters and brokers who were making money off foreigners' desire to live in the United States, according to authorities.

Prosecutors in April charged 21 people with visa fraud, conspiracy to harbor aliens for profit and other charges in connection with the sting operation that involved more than 1,000 foreigners. 

Authorities said in the indictment of Xue that she had told her foreign recruits, mostly from China and India, they could enroll at the school without having to go to classes and that they would keep their non-immigrant status. She also told them they could get work authorization to which they weren't entitled, the indictment says. 

Xue created false student records and submitted them to federal officials with the intention of deceiving them, according to the indictment. 

The U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey said in the sting operation, brokers and recruiters helped get student visas for foreigners who never intended to attend school. The foreigners paid thousands of dollars to the brokers or to the fake school, which kicked back money to the brokers, the prosecutor's office said. 

A lawyer for Xue wrote in an email that she had not yet received the indictment but that the consultants "really believed it (the University of Northern New Jersey) was a real school."

"UNNJ's website (before it was shut down) indicated that the government was charging an annual 'tuition' of $12,620.00 per year, meaning that the government has likely taken in millions of dollars in tuition from the 1,076 students who were allegedly enrolled," wrote Chunyu Jean Wang, the lawyer. "In the end, we intend to adamantly fight these bogus charges, and to recoup the money that the government stole from the students and consultants."

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Woman accused of luring Chinese, Indian students to fake N.J. college indicted