A Bronx immigration lawyer who charged asylum seekers up to $6,000 in order to illegally speed up their applications for legal status has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges and faces a 10-year prison sentence.
Kofi Amankwah, 70, who trained immigrants to claim they were victims of domestic violence in order to exploit loopholes in the immigration system and defraud them, pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges on Tuesday and faces up to 10 years in prison. He may also have to pay up to $16 million in restitution. Federal prosecutors.
“For years, Kofi Amankwah oversaw a massive immigration fraud scheme in which clients submitted thousands of immigration documents that falsely alleged that they were being abused by their children or other family members,” U.S. Attorney Damien Williams for the Southern District of New York said in a statement.
“Amankwah's actions undermined our immigration system, exploited VAWA, and victimized vulnerable clients in the process,” Williams said.[Tuesday’s] The guilty plea underscores our firm's dedication to holding accountable those who abuse their position of trust as lawyers.”
Prosecutors said Amankwah charged migrants between $3,000 and $6,000 to submit false petitions alleging child abuse, triggering regulations that allowed them to travel abroad faster despite lacking legal status and ultimately making it easier to establish residency.
According to the federal government, this scam allows immigrants who claim they have been abused to qualify to travel legally abroad even though they do not have legal residency in the U.S. Upon returning home, the immigrants will claim that they qualify for “accelerated parole travel,” which will allow them to gain legal residency sooner.
He ran the fraud scheme out of an office in the Bronx between September and November 2016. Most of his clients' applications were ultimately rejected, prosecutors said.
Amankwah's staff are also under investigation by the state attorney general, and his son, Kofi Amankwah Jr., is still facing a federal lawsuit on similar charges.
Todd Spodek, representing the disbarred attorney, said Wednesday that his client “accepts full responsibility for his actions and is committed to righting his wrongs.”
