Jane Sanders, the wife of former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), is currently under federal investigation. The probe concerns a 2010 land purchase orchestrated by Jane Sanders, who was, at the time, president of Burlington College in Burlington, Vermont. The Sanders camp contends the investigation is a political ploy to stymie Bernie Sanders’ political future. But the investigation is heating up, according to The Washington Post. Here is what else you need to know:

Land Deal

In 2010, Jane Sanders purchased $10 million-worth of land to build a new Burlington College campus. She promised the owner of the 33-acre property, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, that she would pay off the purchase with private donations. Jane Sanders told trustees that $2.6 million in donations had already been pledged to the college and projected a surge in enrollment in the coming year.

To finance the exchange, the college borrowed $6.7 million from the People’s United Bank. The diocese provided the college with an additional loan, expecting to be repaid based on Jane’s assurances.

Jane Sanders Resigns

Soon after the purchase was complete, the diocese realized that Jane Sanders’ promises had been largely overstated. Enrollment did not substantially increase, and the donations Sanders said had already been pledged fell well short of the $2.6 million she promised. Following an uproar from the board of trustees, Jane Sanders resigned in 2011, and the college closed in 2016.

According to David V. Dunn, a former Burlington College trustee, neither of Jane Sanders’ promises–the increased enrollment and $2.6 million in donations–were true. However, there were other management issues that contributed to her firing.

“I don’t believe that there was fraud in terms of willful intent,” Dunn  told the New York Times. “I believe that there was information that was misrepresented.”

Politically Motivated?

Jeff Weaver, the spokesman for Jane and Bernie Sanders, considers the investigation to be politically motivated. He said the probe was launched because of Brady Toensing, a lawyer who sent a letter to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont in January alleging potential bank fraud.

“We request an investigation into what appears to be federal loan fraud involving the sale of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington headquarters,” Toensing wrote in the letter.

“This apparent fraud resulted in as much as $2 million in losses to the Diocese and an unknown amount of loss to People’s United Bank, a federally financed financial institution,” said Toensing, who at the time was the vice chairman of the Vermont Republican Party. Toensing later became the state chairman for President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Unsurprisingly, Bernie Sanders sees the investigation as little more than a political ruse. He highlighted the timing of the inquiries into his wife’s college in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper:

“Right in the middle of my presidential campaign–and I know this will shock the viewers–the vice chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, who happened to be Donald Trump’s campaign manager, raised this issue and initiated this investigation.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Jane Sanders Bank Fraud Investigation: What You Need to Know appeared first on Law Street.

When picking a destination to travel to, most tourists like to factor weather, culture, and affordability into their trip planning, However on the off chance you’re an expecting mother there may be an even bigger deciding factor when choosing where to travel overseas–dual citizenship. Maternity tourism is hardly a new concept, but the recent arrest of a California lawyer by federal agents in connection with a “maternity hotels” investigation has this shady method of gaining citizenship garnering new found attention.

Federal ‘maternity tourism’ case grows with arrest of Irvine, CA attorney http://t.co/JhgR1zY2Uq @eopiniontv pic.twitter.com/qxhBmy8DJG

— Jaoana Dean (@thejaoana) May 19, 2015

According to the LA Times, federal agents arrested 38-year-old immigration attorney Ken Zhiyi Liang Friday and charged him with attempted witness tampering after he allegedly attempted to help a Chinese woman flee the U.S. after she was designated a material witness in an investigation into the illegal immigration of pregnant women.

Maternity tourism involves pregnant women obtaining tourist visas to another country in order for their child to be born a citizen there. In the United States, the Fourteenth Amendment grants unconditional citizenship to any person born on U.S. soil, making it a popular destination for this type of travel. Canada and Hong Kong are also popular destinations because of the former’s healthcare system and the latter’s “right of abode” awarded to its citizens. China’s one-child policy is also another reason for some of its pregnant nationals to seek maternity tourism as a method to circumvent the restrictive rule.

According to the LA Times, investigators in Southern California had been raiding properties suspected to be associated with alleged maternity tourism operators assisting pregnant Chinese women. After one of these raids, authorities named several people as material witnesses in the case, which forbade them from leaving the country. That’s where Liang comes in. Four of these witness hired him to represent them, but authorities believe he was also hired to help them flee the country. One married couple he represented successfully escaped back to China, but another witness was caught at LAX attempting to flee days later, which set off alarm bells for investigators.

The woman who was caught claims she had paid Liang $6,000 for the job and even had proof of their dealings, which she gave to authorities. The LA Times reported that officials in court filings claimed,

She made a video and audio recordings of several telephone and in-person conversations with Liange, in which he pressed her for payment and stressed the need to keep his involvement a secret.

Among other promises, Liang told the woman that for an additional charge, he could arrange with associates to get her aboard a flight to China without any immigration paperwork.

According to Reuters, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted at trial. It’s important that the safety of these expecting women is ensured, however investigators’ main goal is to to thwart these kinds of schemes which take advantage of the United States’ immigration policies.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post LA Lawyer Arrested Over This Popular Immigration Scheme appeared first on Law Street.