Bronx, New York-based immigration lawyer Kofi Amankwaa and his son, Kofi Amankwaa Jr., have been accused of finishing up a “large-scale” immigration fraud scheme on Caribbean and different migrants.
The allegations are contained in a grievance that was unsealed by US Legal professional for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, and Michael Alfonso, the Appearing Particular Agent in Cost of the Newark Discipline Workplace of the US Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI).
“As alleged, Kofi Amankwaa, an immigration lawyer, and his son, Kofi Amankwaa Jr., sought to make a mockery of the US immigration system by conspiring to defraud america and commit immigration fraud,” mentioned Williams, whose father is a Jamaican-born doctor.
“Amankwaa and his son allegedly exploited the Violence In opposition to Ladies Act — a regulation that permits non-citizen victims of home abuse a path to lawful everlasting residence standing — for their very own monetary achieve by falsely claiming that their shoppers had been victims of home abuse,” he added.
“Because of the devoted actions of our regulation enforcement companions and the profession prosecutors of this workplace, the defendants should now reply for these crimes.”
Alfonso mentioned: “Kofi Amankwaa is charged with deceitful practises, whereby he allegedly victimised shoppers who relied on his authorized help with their immigration course of.
“HSI is dedicated to defending the candidates, petitioners, and requestors of US citizenship who, sadly, are sometimes prone to falling for scams or fraud,” he mentioned.
“HSI is grateful for the collaboration on this investigation with different Division of Homeland Safety parts, in addition to different federal companies, who proceed to assist us fight doc and profit fraud.”
In line with the allegations within the grievance, from September 2016 to November 2023, Amankwaa, 69, and Amankwaa, Jr, 37, met with shoppers and directed them to signal fraudulent Kind I-360 Violence In opposition to Ladies Act (VAWA) Petitions, falsely stating that the shoppers had been abused by their US citizen youngsters.
The grievance alleges that Amankwaa additionally signed the petitions, below penalty of perjury, because the lawyer preparer.
“The defendants used the submitting of the fraudulent Kind I-360 VAWA Petitions, amongst different filings, as a foundation to request advance parole journey paperwork for his or her shoppers — paperwork that allow people with out authorized standing in america to journey overseas briefly and return,” the grievance says.
“The defendants then directed their shoppers, upon acquiring the advance parole journey paperwork, to journey overseas and return to america,” it provides.
The grievance says the defendants used the fraudulently procured advance parole as a foundation for his or her shoppers to use for lawful everlasting resident standing.
“The defendants carried out this unlawful scheme realizing that their shoppers had not, the truth is, been abused by their youngsters or with out ever asking whether or not any such abuse occurred,” the complaints mentioned.
“Furthermore, the defendants had been typically unsuccessful in acquiring lawful everlasting resident standing for his or her shoppers as a result of the shoppers’ immigration purposes had been denied on the premise of fraud, amongst different causes.
“The defendants sometimes charged their shoppers $6,000 for his or her companies, plus administrative charges,” it provides.
Williams mentioned that in November 2023 following quite a few complaints by shoppers concerning the fraudulent abuse allegations, Amankwaa’s licence to practise regulation within the State of New York was suspended.
He mentioned the daddy and son, each of South River, New Jersey, are every charged with one depend of conspiracy to defraud america and to commit immigration fraud, which carries a most sentence of 5 years in jail, and one depend of immigration fraud, which carries a most sentence of 10 years in jail.
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