Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Listed below is a summary of some of the most important (and frequently asked) questions about the Jude Shao case:

Q. What was Jude convicted of?
Q. Do you have evidence that Jude did indeed pay the disputed taxes?
Q. What is the status of Jude's legal case?
Q. What U.S. politicians have taken an interest in the case?
Q. How many other Americans are in jail in China?
Q. Is Jude an U.S. Citizen?
Q. Does Jude have family in the Bay Area?
Q. Who is behind the "Free Jude Shao" campaign?
Q. What has happened to China Business Ventures (CBV)?
Q. Where were CBV's Offices?

Q. What was Jude convicted of?
A. Jude was convicted of falsely issuing Value Added Tax (VAT) invoices and tax evasion and was sentenced to 16 years in jail.  
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Q. Do you have evidence that Jude did indeed pay the disputed taxes?
A. Records recovered from CBV's San Francisco office show that Jude paid the disputed taxes (see the Case Summary Report).

In addition, a panel of six prominent Chinese legal scholars (including an official of China's Supreme People's Court) has issued an "Experts' Report" confirming that Jude's conviction was incorrect. Click one of the following links to see Wall Street Journal article of May 29, 2003: English, Chinese (PDF).
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Q. What is the status of Jude's legal case?
A. Jude's case was appealed in the Shanghai High Court in 2001, but the court refused to admit Jude's exculpatory evidence. Jude has petitioned the Supreme People's Court in Beijing four times citing his new evidence, and received a rejection of his petition on Jan. 31, 2005.  He has exhausted all legal options in the Chinese court system.
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Q. What U.S. politicians have taken an interest in the case?
A. A number of senators and representatives have written letters to the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. and to the State Department. Further details are provided on our Action Hall of Fame page.
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Q. How many other Americans are in jail in China?
A. There are 33 Americans in jail in China.
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Q. Is Jude an U.S. Citizen?
A. Jude is a naturalized U.S. Citizen. He earned his citizenship in 1997.
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Q. Does Jude have family in the Bay Area?
A. Jude's family is in Shanghai.
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Q. Who is behind the "Free Jude Shao" campaign?
A. To effort to earn Jude's freedom is being led by Jude's classmates from the Stanford Graduate School of Business Class of 1993 and Jude's friends and business colleagues.
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Q. What has happened to China Business Ventures (CBV)?
A. After the local tax authorities in Shanghai confiscated CBV's accounting records and froze the company's bank accounts, CBV was forced out of business.
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Q. Where were CBV's Offices?
A. CBV had offices in Shanghai and in San Francisco, South of Market.
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