A Bronx-based former immigration attorney, Kofi Amankwaa, pled guilty to immigration fraud in federal court on Sept. 17 in connection with his supervision of a multi-year scheme to file fraudulent immigration documents under the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”), federal prosecutors said. As reported in January, Attorney General Letitia James sued Amankwaa and other lawyers for scamming immigrants.

 

The 70-year-old defendant of South River, New Jersey, pled guilty to one count of immigration fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

 

In the context of the announcement, Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Amankwaa pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, adding, “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.”

 

He continued, “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. Today’s guilty plea highlights this Office’s dedication to holding accountable those who abuse the trust placed in them as attorneys and fraudulently use our immigration system as a tool for their own financial gain.”

 

According to court documents 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.

 

The court heard that 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 U.S. 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 U.S.  Last, Amankwaa used the fraudulently procured advance parole as a basis for his clients to apply for lawful permanent resident status.

 

Prosecutors said Amankwaa carried out the illegal scheme knowing that his clients had not, in fact, been abused by their children or without ever asking whether any such abuse occurred. Moreover, he 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, he was disbarred.

 

As part of his guilty plea, Amankwaa agreed to forfeit $13,389,000 and pay $16,503,425 in restitution to his victims.

 

Federal prosecutors urge anyone who believes they or a family member has been a victim of VAWA fraud perpetrated by Amankwaa to please contact USANYS.VAWAFraud@usdoj.gov.

 

The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

 

Williams praised what he described as the outstanding investigative work of the Newark field office of Homeland Security Investigations (HS) and thanked the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security for their support with the investigation.

 

This case is being handled by the Southern District of New York’s general crimes unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Z. Margulies is leading the prosecution.

 

As reported in August, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark announced on July 31 that a Queens woman, Windella Sanderson Wells, 54, of Hollis, Queens, was charged with defrauding ten Bronxites of Caribbean descent out of $73,000 by promising to improve their immigration status.

 

Clark said Sanderson Wells was arraigned on a 44-count indictment charging first-degree scheme to defraud, second-degree grand larceny, third-degree grand larceny, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, third-degree unlawful possession of personal information, practicing or appearing as attorney-at-law without being admitted and first-degree falsifying business records. Sanderson-Wells is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Officials from the Bronx DA’s office said anyone who believes that they have been victimized by Sanderson Wells is encouraged to contact the Bronx District Attorney’s Immigrant Affairs Unit on (718) 838-7201 or at bximmigrant@bronxda.nyc.gov.