A Bronx immigration lawyer who charged asylum seekers up to $6,000 to illegally fast-track their bids for legal status is facing 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges.
Kofi Amankwaa, 70, who coached migrants to claim they were victims of domestic abuse to cheat the immigration system through a loophole, pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges Tuesday and faces up to a decade behind bars — and could have to pay up to $16 million in restitution, federal prosecutors said.
“For years, Kofi Amankwaa oversaw a massive immigration fraud scheme, filing thousands of immigration documents falsely alleging that his clients were victims of abuse by their children or other family members,” Damian Williams, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement.
“Amankwaa’s actions undermined our U.S. immigration system, exploited VAWA — a law that allows noncitizen victims of domestic abuse a path to lawful permanent residence status — and victimized vulnerable clients in the process,” Williams said. “[Tuesday’s] guilty plea highlights this office’s dedication to holding accountable those who abuse the trust placed in them as attorneys.”
According to prosecutors, Amankwaa charged migrants between $3,000 and $6,000 to file phony petitions claiming they were abused by their children, triggering a regulation that fast-tracked their ability to travel overseas despite lacking legal status — and ultimately making it easier to establish residency.
Under the scam, migrants who claimed they were abused could qualify to legally travel overseas despite not having legal US residency, the feds said. Upon returning, he would claim their “advanced parole travel” status qualified them for legal residency more quickly.
He ran the scam out of his Bronx office from September 2016 through November. Prosecutors have said most of the client applications were eventually rejected.
Amankwaa’s staff is also under investigation by the state attorney general, while his son, Kofi Amankwaa Jr., still has a pending federal case on similar charges.
The disbarred lawyer’s attorney, Todd Spodek, said Wednesday that his client “has accepted full responsibility for his actions and is doing everything in his power to right his wrongs.”