A Bronx-based Ghanaian lawyer, Kofi Amankwaa, has been sentenced to just about six years in jail for masterminding an enormous immigration fraud scheme that exploited a regulation meant to guard victims of home abuse.
Amankwaa, a former immigration lawyer, was handed a 70-month jail sentence by U.S. District Decide Katherine Polk Failla on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. His sentencing follows a responsible plea in September 2024, the place he admitted to orchestrating a years-long rip-off that defrauded each his purchasers and the U.S. authorities of thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
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In accordance with U.S. prosecutors, Amankwaa and his associates submitted hundreds of fraudulent functions underneath the Violence In opposition to Girls Act (VAWA), falsely claiming that his purchasers have been victims of abuse by their U.S. citizen youngsters or members of the family. Shockingly, many of those purchasers had no concept their info was getting used this manner.
Charging between $3,000 and $6,000 per software, plus administrative charges, Amankwaa raked in thousands and thousands whereas exploiting a regulation designed to guard actual victims. Appearing U.S. Lawyer Matthew Podolsky condemned Amankwaa’s actions, stating:
Kofi Amankwaa, a former immigration lawyer, made a mockery of the U.S. immigration system and VAWA — a regulation 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 have been victims of abuse by their youngsters or different members of the family.
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Utilizing these fraudulent functions, Amankwaa secured advance parole journey paperwork for his purchasers, permitting them to journey overseas and re-enter america. He then used these paperwork to use for everlasting residency, absolutely conscious that his purchasers weren’t precise victims of abuse.
Amankwaa’s fraudulent activities caught up with him in 2023, resulting in the suspension of his regulation license in November. By August 2024, he was completely disbarred.
Along with his jail sentence, Amankwaa has been slapped with large monetary penalties:
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three-year supervised launch following his jail time period
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$13,389,000 forfeiture of unlawful earnings
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$16,503,425 restitution cost to his victims
Authorities at the moment are urging victims of his fraudulent scheme to return ahead and search restitution by contacting the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace at USANYS.VAWAFraud@usdoj.gov.
Amankwaa’s conviction sends a transparent message: U.S. authorities are intensifying efforts to root out immigration fraud, and people who try to govern the system will face extreme penalties.
