Update from Sherry Chen
January 19, 2018: The MSPB hearing on Sherry Chen's case in March 2017 generated 3,600 pages of court records. After almost a year, the MSPB judge has yet to issue her decision. We request your understanding and patience that it is not appropriate to discuss the details of her case before the MSPB decision is made. However, those who attended the hearing and are following her case intently can attest to the systemic racial profiling and discriminatory treatment Sherry faced throughout her ordeal. According to her attorney, long delays awaiting MSPB decisions are not unusual, and we remain optimistic about the final outcome.
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The two-day MSPB hearing on Sherry Chen's appeal ended promptly at 4:00 pm on March 15. The hearing was completed by video conference on March 28.
Left: Watching television report on Sherry Chen at the MSPB hearing in Cincinnati, Ohio
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The Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund was created in 2015 to receive donations and support Sherry Chen’s continuing fight to defend herself and seek fairness and justice for the broader community.
Introduction
On October 20, 2014, the U.S government arrested Ms. Chen in front of her coworkers at her office and charged her with 4 counts, carrying a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The charges were later increased to eight counts with even severer penalties. The U.S. government alleged Ms. Chen accessed the National Inventory of Dams database without proper authority and lied to federal investigators. However, Ms. Chen did have proper authority to access the database and was transparent with the investigators at all times. Ms. Chen never gave any proprietary information to anyone. Five months later, the ordeal abruptly ended. In March 2015, just a week before she was scheduled to go on trial, the government dismissed the case and dropped all charges against Ms. Chen without explanation. Despite all charges being dropped, Ms. Chen is still not allowed to return to her job that she loves. In March 2016, Department of Commerce (DOC) terminated Ms. Chen’s federal employment based on the same unfounded charges. Ms. Chen has appealed DOC decision to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) for its wrongful termination, racial discrimination and retaliation. Sherry Chen is fighting for justice and needs our help. Please make a donation to the Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund to help Ms. Chen alleviate the financial burden of her previous criminal case and current administrative case. |
Sherry Chen's letter to her supporters
(in Chinese and English) |
