Editor’s Note: The following is an extended version of the News Brief story that appears in our latest print edition. 

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit on Jan. 22 against Kofi Amankwaa, 69, a Bronx immigration lawyer, and others operating in his Concourse-located office, Sylvester Boateng, Nana Adoma Kontoh, Betty Smith, and Kofi Amankwaa Jr., 37, son of Kofi Amankwaa, for allegedly running an illegal scheme that scammed hundreds of vulnerable immigrants into paying thousands of dollars for fraudulent services that caused many to be deported or have their green card applications denied.

 

Officials from the AG’s office said that from 2018 through 2023, Amankwaa, of South River, New Jersey, and the other defendants, operating from 881 Gerard Avenue in The Bronx, just an 8-minute walk from Bronx Hall of Justice, allegedly charged immigrant clients thousands of dollars to submit paperwork on their behalf to secure green cards for their clients. They said that unbeknownst to their clients, Amankwaa and the other defendants were also allegedly illegally submitting separate petitions falsely claiming that their children were abusing them.

 

They said these petitions were allegedly filed under the Violence Against Women Act, which allows victims of abuse by a U.S. born child over 21 years old to seek lawful permanent residency. They said that as a result of these false claims, several immigrants were deported while others were denied their green cards. James is seeking an order to immediately halt Amankwaa and the defendants’ illegal scheme and force them to pay restitution and damages to their affected immigrant clients, in addition to civil penalties to the state.

 

In the context of the New York State lawsuit announcement, James said, “People who immigrate to America are often vulnerable and simply trying to build better lives for themselves and their loved ones. When these immigrants sought help from attorneys claiming to act in their best interests, they were taken advantage of and harmed instead. This cruel and illegal scheme led to them being separated from their families and deported.”

 

OAG officials said that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed a parallel criminal action also on Jan. 22, charging and arresting Amankwaa and Amankwaa, Jr., also of South River, New Jersey, for allegedly carrying out a large-scale immigration fraud scheme. In the federal case, both were charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit immigration fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of immigration fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

 

James went on to say, “I thank Assemblymember [Catalina] Cruz [Queens] for bringing this issue to light and for her tireless work to protect our most vulnerable communities. I will not tolerate fraudsters who prey on the vulnerable and take advantage of people asking for help.”

 

For her part, Cruz, a former DREAMer, who was born in Colombia and moved to the United States at age 9, said, “Hundreds of hardworking undocumented New Yorkers sought help from Attorney Kofi Amankwaa to regularize their status. Mr. Amankwaa charged them thousands of dollars and engaged in unethical and unconscionable conduct that led to the deportation of many of them.”

 

The assembly member added, “These families simply wanted the American Dream and trusted Mr. Amankwaa as their lawyer; instead, he committed the most depraved of violations and his actions led to forced separation from their families. After several of his victims approached our office seeking help, we immediately referred the case to the Attorney General’s office, while we continued to support their families. I am thankful to Attorney General James and her team for holding this immigration scammer accountable. I look forward to justice being served.”

 

An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that Amankwaa and the others working in his office allegedly knowingly and repeatedly filed false petitions on behalf of their clients. OAG officials said these petitions allegedly identified each client as the parent of an abusive United States citizen, which would allow the client to petition for a green card.

 

However, they said Amankwaa and the others allegedly did not inform their clients that they were doing this and allegedly refused to provide their clients with copies of the filed documents. As a result, clients were unaware that attorneys, were falsely accusing their own children of abuse in their name.

 

OAG officials said Amankwaa also allegedly falsely told clients they would be able to safely leave and return to the United States and allegedly instructed his clients to lie on their petition submissions and to immigration officials about being abused, though none of them ultimately did. In November 2023, they said Amankwaa’s law license was suspended after he failed to respond to nine separate complaints alleging he submitted fraudulent immigration filings on behalf of his clients.

 

OAG officials said that in addition, Kontoh allegedly falsely represented that she was an attorney while acting as an immigrant assistance service provider, unlawfully providing legal advice and misleading her immigrant clients. They said she allegedly unlawfully encouraged her clients to lie to immigration officials, allegedly failed to provide her clients with written contracts or copies of documents filed with the government, and allegedly failed to post signs informing clients that she was not an attorney.

 

The lawsuit also alleges that Amankwaa, Jr. also violated the law by providing legal advice, even though he is not admitted to practice law in New York.

 

OAG officials said that as a result of Amankwaa and the others’ actions, several of their clients were deported, including Ricardo Velazquez, a father of four from The Bronx who had lived in America for over 20 years. They said Amankwaa allegedly falsely told Velazquez that he needed to leave the U.S. and re-enter to proceed with his application for lawful permanent residence.

 

They said that when Velazquez attempted to come back to America after visiting Mexico, he was detained by immigration authorities and ultimately deported. OAG officials said Velazquez’s family only later learned that Amankwaa had filed false petitions stating that Velazquez’s son had abused his parents, which led to his father’s deportation.

 

In another instance, OAG officials said that Amankwaa allegedly instructed a woman to lie to immigration authorities and claim her daughter was abusing her. They said when the woman refused to lie in an interview, immigration officials denied her application for lawful permanent residency and began deportation proceedings.

 

They said other clients allegedly paid thousands of dollars for immigration services that were allegedly never rendered. They said that in one case, a father of two allegedly paid Kontoh over $4,000 for travel documents to allow him to legally visit Honduras and return to America. They said that instead, Kontoh allegedly secretly filed a fraudulent petition stating the father was a victim of his abusive children.

 

With this lawsuit, James is alleging Amankwaa and the others working in his office exhibited a pattern of repeated and persistent fraudulent and illegal conduct in violation of Executive Law 63(12), New York General Business Law, and Judiciary Law. James is seeking an order to prevent Amankwaa and his colleagues from continuing their illegal scheme and make a full accounting of each transaction with their clients in order to pay full restitution and damages to their customers, in addition to paying civil penalties to the state.

 

The attorney general thanked Cruz for referring the matter to OAG.

 

Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) who represents a large section of The Bronx stretching from the northwest to the south, including the Concourse section of the Bronx, where the defendants’ office is located, said of the legal case, “I am very encouraged to hear that Attorney General James took action against Kofi Amankwaa, a serial scam artist and abuser of well-meaning immigrant families. For some time, my team has been deeply involved in helping his victims like Ricardo Velázquez who have been deported from the U.S. at no fault of their own.”

 

He added, “We’ve pushed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to investigate and urged to let them return home with their families. The victims of Amankwaa’s actions are honest and hard-working people who deserve better, and I hope that this case sends a message to immigration lawyers across the nation that if they ever deceive their clients, they will face serious consequences.”

 

As reported, in 2021, then-New York City Commissioner Britta Mostofi, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, welcomed the introduction of the New Citizenship Act of 2021 and warned immigrants of potential scams.

 

As reported, Parkchester Library recently hosted a series of U.S. Citizenship workshops in January to help adults prepare for the U.S. Citizenship test.

 

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) will be hosting free immigration clinics each month. See attached flier above for more information.

 

A person charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Anyone who believes they may have been the victim of fraud is encouraged to report complaints by filling out a complaint form or calling 1-800-771-7755. Any identifying information provided to the office will be protected according to state law and policies on the safeguarding of identifying information.

 

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