(WNY News Now) – A 55-year-old California woman is facing charges after allegedly attempting to flee the U.S. with her 12-year-old daughter.
Buffalo, N.Y. – Mei Tian of Irvine, CA, was arrested at the U.S.-Canada border and charged with international parental kidnapping and making a false statement to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. If convicted, Tian faces up to eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Caught at the Border
On the evening of September 27, 2024, Tian and her daughter attempted to enter Canada via the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, NY, in an Uber vehicle. Customs officials became suspicious of Tian’s admissibility after she presented a letter purportedly signed by her husband, giving her permission to travel with their daughter. The CBP officer, suspecting the letter was forged, refused Tian entry into Canada.
Upon re-entering the U.S., CBP officials discovered records showing Tian was not legally allowed to take her daughter out of the country. Further investigation revealed that Tian and her daughter had been evading authorities since August 2024, violating a court order prohibiting the child’s departure from the United States.
Multiple Travel Documents and a Plan to Flee
CBP officers found that Tian was carrying multiple travel documents, including U.S. and Chinese passports, a birth certificate, and a notarized letter from the father. Authorities later determined that Tian planned to fly to China after entering Canada.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office had been investigating the case, as Tian had failed to return her daughter to the child’s father, who holds sole custody. The daughter had been on a visitation with her mother and was supposed to return to her father on August 11, 2024.
Ongoing Legal Proceedings
Tian is currently held in custody pending a detention hearing set for October 3, 2024. The investigation involved U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security’s Border Enforcement Security Task Force. As are all persons accused of a crime, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Leave a Reply