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NEW YORK, CMC – A former immigration legal professional has been sentenced to jail for 70 months for ‘large-scale’ immigration fraud on Caribbean and different immigrants.
Matthew Podolsky, appearing United States Legal professional for the Southern District of New York, mentioned that 70-year-old Kofi Amankwaa was sentenced for immigration fraud in connection together with his supervision of a multi-year scheme to file fraudulent immigration paperwork below the Violence Towards Ladies Act (VAWA).
Podolsky mentioned Amankwaa pleaded responsible earlier than US District Choose Katherine Polk Failla, who imposed the sentence.
“Kofi Amankwaa, a former immigration legal professional, made a mockery of the US immigration system and VAWA — a legislation that gives noncitizen victims of home abuse a path to lawful everlasting residence standing — by submitting hundreds of immigration paperwork falsely alleging that his purchasers had been victims of abuse by their youngsters or different relations,” Podolsky mentioned.
“Amankwaa repeatedly filed these false purposes with out telling his purchasers that he was doing so, and pocketed hundreds of {dollars} from every consumer he victimised,” he mentioned, including “Amankwaa now faces a major jail sentence for his crimes.”
The court docket heard that from September 2016 by way of to November 2023, Amankwaa and others at his path, met with purchasers and instructed them to signal fraudulent Type I-360 VAWA Petitions, falsely stating that the purchasers had been abused by their US citizen youngsters.
Podolsky mentioned Amankwaa additionally signed the petitions, below penalty of perjury, because the legal professional preparer.
He mentioned Amankwaa used the submitting of the fraudulent Type I-360 VAWA Petitions, amongst different filings, as a foundation to request for his purchasers advance parole journey paperwork — paperwork that allow people with out authorized standing within the US to journey overseas quickly and return.
Podolsky mentioned Amankwaa then directed his purchasers, upon acquiring the advance parole journey paperwork, to journey overseas and return to the US.
As well as, Amankwaa is accused of utilizing the fraudulently procured advance parole as a foundation for his purchasers to use for lawful everlasting resident standing.
“Amankwaa carried out this unlawful scheme realizing that his purchasers had not, the truth is, been abused by their youngsters or with out asking whether or not any such abuse occurred,” the appearing United States Legal professional mentioned.
“Furthermore, Amankwaa was typically unsuccessful in acquiring lawful everlasting resident standing for his purchasers as a result of the purchasers’ immigration purposes had been denied on the idea of fraud, amongst different causes.”
He mentioned Amankwaa sometimes charged his purchasers between US$3,000 and US$6,000 for his companies, plus administrative charges.
In November 2023, following quite a few complaints by purchasers, Podolsky mentioned Amankwaa’s licence to practise legislation within the State of New York was suspended, and, in August 2024, Amankwaa was disbarred.
Along with the jail time period, Podolsky mentioned Amankwaa was sentenced to a few years of supervised launch, and ordered to forfeit US$13.3 million.
As a part of his plea settlement, Podolsky mentioned Amankwaa has additionally agreed to pay US$16.5 million in restitution to his victims.
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