Fraud Tracker
Tracking the latest news on immigration fraud so you don’t have to.
Foreign National Charged with Immigration Fraud and Human Smuggling Conspiracy
According to court documents, Hesam Fatehi Peykani, 38, allegedly organized, led, and worked with others in his Iranian-based smuggling network to facilitate the entry of Iranian citizens into the United States under false pretenses. Peykani allegedly carried out his scheme by charging Iranian citizens between $1,000 to $30,000 to submit or cause to be submitted tourist visa applications with false information on their behalf at a nearby U.S. consulate or embassy.
Uncle Sam sounds like it may actually do something about rampant visa H-1B fraud
The US has seen a surge in employers making multiple H-1B visa registrations to bring skilled foreign workers into the country, a trend that authorities fear reflects rising immigration fraud.
Johnston County convicted rapist sentenced for immigration fraud, USDOJ says
According to court records, Cruz Miguel Aguina, 40, fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship on July 3, 2019 by making false statements under oath regarding his citizen application. In response to the question “Were you ever involved in any way:…Forcing, or trying to force, someone to have any kind of sexual contact or relations?” he answered “No.”
A former Pa. city treasurer sentenced to 6 months in prison for marriage fraud, failure to pay taxes: reports
The Philly’s ex-treasurer pleaded guilty to a scheme to garner citizenship by submitting false documentation and statements and failing to pay his taxes. Dunbar will also have to pay a $10,000 fine as well as $33,202 in restitution to the IRS.
Immigration fraud case brings tough First Amendment questions to the Supreme Court
The issue was whether a federal law that makes it a crime to encourage or induce illegal immigration transforms some speech protected by the Constitution into a crime.
Former Haitian mayor accused of immigration fraud in the United States
Former Haitian mayor Jean Morose Viliena has been accused of illegally obtaining his permanent residence in the United States by making false statements about his participation in extrajudicial executions and other violent acts in his country. Viliena, who faces three counts of immigration fraud, had the support of a political militia called Korega and exercised power in the entire southwestern region of Haiti. He was accused of several cases of gun violence between 2007 and 2008.
Child Molester Sentenced for Immigration Fraud and Judicially Ordered Removed from the United States
A Mexican national knowingly made a materially false statement on an immigration benefit application when he denied ever engaging in “sexual contact or relations with any person who was being forced or threatened.” Contrary to this statement, he was convicted of taking indecent liberties with a 13-year-old girl on November 8, 2022, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Johnston County.
Fraud inquiry requested re: Santos’ marriage, immigration
Equality Forum founder and former federal prosecutor Malcolm Lazin submitted a letter on Tuesday urging the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate whether embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) may have committed immigration fraud
Fake robbery, real arrest at Liquor World
A worker at Liquor World has been arrested after allegedly faking an armed robbery, according to a Columbus Police Department. “We believe we have a strong motive for the staged incident that involves an application for a ‘U visa’ issued by the federal government for victims of crime,” Police Chief Joseph Daughtry said.
Croatian war criminal in Parma Heights indicted on immigration fraud
A Croatian immigrant living in Parma Heights is charged in the U.S. with lying about war crimes committed in the 1990s, while he was a Serbian army operative, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday. While seeking permanent residency in the U.S., he allegedly lied numerous other times about his military experience, as well as when asked if he had participated in any ethnic or politically motivated killings, according to the complaint.
HSI El Paso arrests local woman for wire fraud, impersonation of federal employee
Ana Maria Hernandez, 53, allegedly portrayed herself to be a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employee and defrauded more than 20 victims by providing them the false pretext that she would process their immigration applications for a substantial fee. Investigators revealed that Hernandez had amassed more than $400,000 of unexplained wealth within the 18 months coinciding with her fraudulent activity.
Immigration attorneys plead guilty to asylum fraud scheme
Between November 2018 and December 2021, a Brooklyn-based immigration law firm allegedly advised clients to seek asylum by falsely claiming that they were members of the LGBTQ community who suffered persecution in their native countries, understanding that those clients did not legitimately qualify for asylum. They also coached certain clients to lie in asylum interviews conducted by USCIS asylum officers and represented these clients as they lied under oath during immigration proceedings.
Fremont man sentenced in conspiracy to produce, transfer fraudulent documents following joint HSI, law enforcement partner investigation
Law enforcement officers investigating an identity theft matter learned that fraudulent identity documents could be obtained from defendant Tomas De La Cruz-Perez. Over the course of the year, investigators made several purchases of fraudulent documents such as social security cards, state driver’s licenses, and lawful permanent resident cards (I-551s) from the defendant, who was receiving dozens of packages originating in California through U.S. mail.
Immigration Attorney And CEO Of Immigration Services Company Convicted At Trial Of Conspiring To Commit Immigration Fraud
The CEO of an immigration services firm called “Russian America” and an immigration attorney named “Julia Greenberg” were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit immigration fraud following a two-week trial.
Supreme Court to consider prohibition on encouraging illegal immigration
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from the Ninth Circuit that invalidated a law that makes it a criminal offense to encourage illegal immigration as a violation of the First Amendment.
Tucker Carlson: Republicans are colluding to allow border crisis to continue
New reporting suggests that Democrats and several Republicans are working on a deal to pass mass amnesty for millions of illegal aliens before the new Congress can be seated. Kevin McCarthy, the incoming House Speaker, has promised not to hold a vote for any immigration bill until the border is secure because it would be insane to do otherwise. And yet, several Republican members of the Senate are trying to pass a mass amnesty before the new Republican Congress is seated next month.
Ukrainian-born man pleads to $7.9 million in immigration fraud
According to court documents, Oleksandr Morgunov, formerly of Key West, helped operate labor staffing companies in southern Florida that facilitated the unauthorized employment of foreign nationals in hotels, bars and restaurants.
Mastermind behind Houston-based marriage fraud scheme sentenced to 10 years in prison
A woman who masterminded of one of the largest marriage fraud conspiracies in U.S. history was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines on Thursday. Ashley Yen Nguyen, 58, will spend the next 10 years in federal prison, serve three additional years of supervised release, and pay $334,605 in fines.
Monrovia man gets 4 years in prison for immigration fraud scheme involving wealthy Chinese nationals
A San Gabriel Valley man was sentenced Monday to four years in federal prison for scheming to help wealthy Chinese nationals unlawfully gain admission into the United States by falsely making them eligible for student visas through a network of fraud, including imposter test takers, essay ghostwriters and fake transcript sellers.
GAO concludes USCIS has never developed an ‘antifraud strategy’
The Government Accountability Office issued a report concluding that USCIS “has not developed an antifraud strategy to guide their design and implementation and the allocation of resources to its highest-risk areas.