USCIS Assisted in Case Resulting in Bronx Former Attorney Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Large-Scale Immigration Fraud
NEW YORK – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services assisted in a case resulting in the sentencing of a Bronx-based former immigration attorney. Matthew Podolsky, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Kofo Amankwaa was sentenced to 70 months in prison for immigration fraud in connection with his supervision of a multi-year scheme to file fraudulent immigration documents under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Amankwaa pled guilty on Sept. 17, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who imposed the sentence.
Podolsky said: “Kofi Amankwaa, a former immigration attorney, made a mockery of the U.S. immigration system and VAWA — a law that provides noncitizen victims of domestic abuse a path to lawful permanent residence status — by filing thousands of immigration documents falsely alleging that his clients were victims of abuse by their children or other family members. Amankwaa repeatedly filed these false applications without telling his clients that he was doing so, and pocketed thousands of dollars from each client he victimized. Amankwaa now faces a significant prison sentence for his crimes.”
According to the allegations in the information, public filings, and statements made in public court proceedings:
- From September 2016 through November 2023, Amankwaa and others at his direction met with clients and instructed them to sign fraudulent Form I-360 VAWA petitions, falsely stating that the clients were abused by their U.S. citizen children. Amankwaa also signed the petitions, under penalty of perjury, as the attorney preparer.
- Amankwaa used the filing of the fraudulent Form I-360 VAWA petitions, among other filings, as a basis to request for his clients advance parole travel documents — documents that enable individuals without legal status in the United States to travel abroad temporarily and return. Amankwaa then directed his clients, upon obtaining the advance parole travel documents, to travel abroad and return to the United States. Last, Amankwaa used the fraudulently procured advance parole as a basis for his clients to apply for lawful permanent resident status.
- Amankwaa carried out this illegal scheme knowing that his clients had not, in fact, been abused by their children or without asking whether any such abuse occurred. Moreover, Amankwaa was often unsuccessful in obtaining lawful permanent resident status for his clients because the clients’ immigration applications were denied on the basis of fraud, among other reasons. Amankwaa typically charged his clients between $3,000 and $6,000 for his services, plus administrative fees.
In November 2023, following numerous complaints by clients regarding the fraudulent abuse allegations, Amankwaa’s license to practice law in the State of New York was suspended, and in August 2024, Amankwaa was disbarred.
In addition to the prison term, Amankwaa, 70, of South River, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $13,389,000. As part of his plea agreement, Amankwaa also agreed to pay $16,503,425 in restitution to his victims.
Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the Newark Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations. Podolsky also thanked the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate for its support in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Z. Margulies is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Samantha Roberts.
If you believe you or your family member is a victim of VAWA fraud who may be entitled to restitution from Amankwaa, please contact USANYS.VAWAFraud@usdoj.gov.
To report suspected immigration benefit fraud or abuse to USCIS, please use the USCIS Tip Form.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.