A Chinese national from New Jersey has been convicted of fraudulently obtaining U.S. visas to get Chinese government employees into the United States, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on March 23. Liu Zhongsan, 59, of Fort Lee, was arrested and charged in September 2019. He was convicted on March 22 of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit visa fraud, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years. Sentencing was set for July 11, according to the DOJ. “Liu Zhongsan sought to exploit the J-1 research scholar program—which is intended to allow foreign nationals to conduct research at approved U.S. institutions—for the improper purpose of enabling his conspirators to work for the Chinese government in the United States, against the rules of the research scholar program,” said Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a statement. From 2017 to …