A Bay Area immigration lawyer who had fled to Kyrgyzstan has been extradited back to the United States to face charges of alleged visa fraud, federal prosecutors said.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, 60-year-old Danhong "Jean" Chen, also known as Maria Sofia Taylor, will appear in a San Jose courtroom Friday afternoon.

Prosecutors said Chen, who had previously lived in Atherton, was indicted by a grand jury in March 2019 on 10 counts of visa fraud, along with two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Chen had left the United States after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against her and others for allegedly soliciting investments improperly in late 2018. Prosecutors said she was at large until she was arrested in Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked country in central Asia, at the request of the U.S.

According to the indictment, Chen ran a law office based in San Jose that claimed to specialize in immigration law. Chen is accused of fraudulently obtaining immigration benefits for more than 100 foreign investors through the EB-5 visa program.

Under the program, foreign nationals could obtain United States permanent residency, also known as a "green card", by investing in qualifying businesses in the U.S. Investments can range from $500,000 to $1 million, depending on the area.

Prosecutors said Chen submitted fraudulent documents containing false signatures and falsely described how applicants would qualify for the program. Chen is also accused of obstruction of justice after she allegedly demanded a person provide false answers to SEC investigators and directed a person to delete emails relevant to the SEC's and FBI's investigations.

Chen represented clients who invested about $52 million into projects under the EB-5 visa program, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Chen's ex-husband and business partner, Jianyun "Tony" Ye, was also indicted in the case. Ye pleaded guilty to visa fraud and obstruction of justice in 2021 and has since served his sentence in federal prison.

Prosecutors said Chen faces prison time and fines if convicted, including a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine on each count of visa fraud.