A Bronx-based former immigration attorney, Kofi Amankwaa, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in a multi-year immigration fraud scheme involving fraudulent filings under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the sentencing on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, following Amankwaa’s guilty plea in September 2024. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.
According to court documents, Amankwaa and his associates filed thousands of fraudulent immigration applications falsely alleging that his clients were victims of abuse by their U.S. citizen children or family members. He did this without informing his clients, charging them between $3,000 and $6,000, plus administrative fees.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky described Amankwaa’s actions as an abuse of the immigration system.
“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 used these fraudulent VAWA applications to obtain advance parole travel documents for his clients, allowing them to travel abroad and re-enter the United States. He then used these documents to apply for permanent residency, despite knowing that his clients had not actually been victims of abuse.
Disbarment and Financial Penalties
Due to numerous complaints from victims, Amankwaa’s law license was suspended in November 2023, and he was disbarred in August 2024.
In addition to his prison sentence, Amankwaa has been ordered to:
In addition to his prison sentence, Amankwaa has been ordered to:
– Serve three years of supervised release
– Forfeit $13,389,000
– Pay $16,503,425 in restitution to his victims
Authorities have urged victims of Amankwaa’s fraud to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at USANYS.VAWAFraud@usdoj.gov for potential restitution.
Ongoing investigation
The Newark Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation, with support from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Z. Margulies, with the General Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case, assisted by Paralegal Specialist Samantha Roberts.
Amankwaa’s conviction highlights ongoing efforts by U.S. authorities to crack down on immigration fraud and protect the integrity of the legal system.
Source: Graphic.com.gh