For nearly a decade, Sherry Xue Li lived a life of manufactured prestige. To her investors, she was a visionary developer building a massive “Education Center” in upstate New York. To political elites, she was a high-rolling donor. But according to federal prosecutors, it was all a house of cards built on the life savings of over 150 victims.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!On Friday, that facade finally crumbled as a judge sentenced Li to nine years in federal prison.
The Anatomy of the Scam
Li’s operation was built on two of the most powerful motivators in the world: the American Dream and political access.
- The Visa Hook: Li targeted foreign nationals, primarily from China, promising that a six-figure investment in her “Thompson Education Center” would fast-track them to a Green Card via the EB-5 visa program.
- The Ghost Project: While millions poured in, the “Center” remained a fantasy. Not a single brick was laid for the supposed multi-million-dollar campus.
- The Straw Donor Scheme: To maintain her image as a power player, Li used $600,000 of her victims’ money to make illegal “straw donations” to a 2017 fundraiser for Donald Trump. She even charged 12 foreigners $93,000 each for a “VIP” experience that essentially amounted to paid access to U.S. politicians.
Luxury Built on Lies
While her investors waited for visas that would never arrive, Li was busy spending their money on a lifestyle of extreme excess. The court revealed that millions were funneled into:
- High-end jewelry and designer clothing.
- Lavish vacations and fine dining.
- The maintenance of a social status designed to lure in even more unsuspecting victims.
The Final Reckoning
Li’s partner-in-crime, Lianbo Wang, is already serving a five-year sentence. For Li, the consequences are even steeper. Beyond her 108-month prison term, she has been ordered to forfeit $31.5 million and surrender multiple real estate holdings to compensate those she defrauded.
