TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A military officer was arrested while attempting to leave Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for Tianjin, China, on Sunday, June 7, and has been charged with visa fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Xin Wang, a scientific researcher and officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) entered the U.S. on March 26, 2019, after obtaining a multiple entry J1 non-immigrant visa in December of 2018, according to court documents. Wang’s visa application said the purpose of his trip was to conduct research at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Wang is alleged to have lied on his visa application, specifically claiming that he had been an associate professor of medicine in the PLA from September 1, 2002, until September 1, 2016, the Justice Department release stated. However, after being interviewed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at LAX on June 7, he revealed that he was still a “Level 9” technician in the PLA and employed at a military university lab.

He was still working for the PLA while studying in the U.S. and made false statements about his military service in his visa application so he could increase his chances of receiving his J1 visa, the release said. He told the CBP that he had been told by his supervisor — the director of his military university lab in China — to study the layout of the UCSF lab and take back information on how to copy it.

According to the Justice Department, CBP obtained information that Wang had research from UCSF in his possession that he was taking back to share with PLA colleagues and that he had also emailed studies to his lab in China. Wang had also erased all WeChat messaging content from his phone the morning before arriving at LAX.

Wang is charged with visa fraud, and if convicted he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The FBI is investigating the case.