<h2>San Diego Man Who Posed as a Federal Agent to Defraud Immigrants out of $2.5 Million Sentenced to 91 Months</h2>
<p>Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Young (619) 546-7981 and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Heesch (619) 546-9442</p>
<p>SAN DIEGO – Hardev Panesar of San Diego was sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel to 91 months in custody for his leadership role in an immigration fraud scheme.</p>
<p>According to his plea agreement, Panesar conspired with others, including Rafael Hastie and Gurdev Singh, to induce unauthorized immigrants to pay money based on false and fraudulent claims that the defendants could secure immigration status for the victims and their families. Panesar misled the victims into believing that he could obtain immigration documents or legal immigration status by pretending to be an agent with the Department of Homeland Security. Panesar wore a DHS jacket and showed purported official credentials to his victims.</p>
<p>The plea agreement outlined several dates in 2016 where Panesar successfully obtained thousands of dollars by pretending to be a DHS official. The money paid by the victims totaled over $2.5 million, which was converted to the personal use and benefit of Panesar and his co-defendants. According to statements made at sentencing, Panesar also lost a significant portion of the money he stole from victims as a victim himself in a Nigerian “advanced fee scheme.” At a prior sentencing hearing, one of the victims testified in court that his family gave Panesar and Gurdev Singh approximately $250,000 with the hopes of receiving green cards—a devastating <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/tag/financial-fraud/" title="financial" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="943">financial</a> loss that contributed to the depression and eventual suicide of a family member.</p>
<p>Panesar’s sentence includes a six-month custodial sentence for an additional charge of Failure to Appear. On June 21, 2018, while released on bond, Panesar fled to Mexico and failed to appear at a Motion Hearing before Judge Curiel set for June 22, 2018. He was captured in Mexico and deported to the United States approximately six weeks later.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, Panesar’s co-defendants were sentenced by Judge Curiel. Rafael Hastie was sentenced to 46 months in custody and ordered to pay $942,000 in restitution to the victims. Gurdev Singh was sentenced to 27 months in custody and ordered to pay $392,850 in restitution to the victims. The Court ordered Panesar to pay approximately $2.5 million in restitution to his victims.</p>
<p>Additionally, last week, former HSI supervisor Johnny Martin was found guilty by a federal jury in a related case for the false statements he made to the FBI in connection with their investigation into this immigration fraud scheme. Martin will be sentenced on January 17, 2020.</p>
<p>In imposing the sentence, Judge Curiel described Panesar’s scheme as “one of the more serious cases this Court has handled” in recent years. “Mr. Panesar preyed on the most vulnerable…these are people who wanted to live and experience the American dream. . . . Mr. Panesar pretended he could be the one who provided the American dream.” Judge Curiel added, “This offense is serious because of the heartlessness and callousness required to perpetuate this fraud on so many for so long.”</p>
<p>“Pretending to be a legitimate government agent to scam hundreds of individuals of their life savings undermines the crucial trust we bestow upon our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Robert S. Brewer, Jr. “When that trust is betrayed for personal enrichment, our office will aggressively prosecute the fraudsters and seek restitution for the victims.”</p>
<p>“Panesar’s fraud scheme was particularly egregious as he attempted to use the veil of a U.S. government official to obtain millions of dollars from those trying to obtain legal status in the United States,” said Scott Brunner, FBI Special Agent in Charge. “Falsely claiming to be a federal official degrades the integrity of the system and therefore has serious consequences. Today, Panesar’s destructive scheme has been shut down, he has a federal conviction, and must serve a prison sentence as a result of his actions.”</p>
<p>DEFENDANTS Case Numbers: 17CR1371-GPC, 18CR3229-GPC</p>
<p>Hardev PANESAR Age: 71 El Cajon, California</p>
<p>Rafael HASTIE Age: 49 Tijuana, Mexico</p>
<p>Gurdev SINGH Age: 58 Bakersfield, California</p>
<p>SUMMARY OF CHARGES</p>
<p>17CR1371-GPC</p>
<p>Count 1: 18 U.S.C. § 1349, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud</p>
<p>Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution.</p>
<p>Counts 2-4: 18 U.S.C. § 1343, Wire Fraud;</p>
<p>Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution</p>
<p>Counts 5-10: 18 U.S.C. § 912, False Personation of an Officer or Employee of the United States;</p>
<p>Maximum Penalty: Three years in prison, $250,000 fine</p>
<p>Count 11: 31 U.S.C. § 5324(a)(3), Structuring Domestic Financial Institutions;</p>
<p>Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture</p>
<p>18CR3229-GPC</p>
<p>Count 1: 18 U.S.C. § 3146(a)(1), Failure to Appear After Pre-Trial Release;</p>
<p>Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison, $250,000 fine.</p>
<p>AGENCY</p>
<p>Federal Bureau of Investigation</p>
<p>U.S. Customs and Border Protection &#8211; Office of Field Operations</p>
<p>U.S. Customs and Border Protection &#8211; Office of Professional Responsibility</p>

Tag Archives: Immigration Fraud
Immigration Crime: Stella Boyadjian Pleaded Guilty To Conspiracy To Visa Fraud, And Aggravated Identity Theft
<h2>Leader of Queens-Based Non-Profit Organization Pleads Guilty for Her Role in Visa Fraud Scheme</h2>
<p><strong>Defendant Provided Armenian Nationals with Fake Dance Certificates and Staged Photos to Qualify for P-3 Visa Program for Entertainers</strong></p>
<p>Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Stella Boyadjian, the operator of a non-profit organization called Big Apple Music Awards Foundation Inc. (BAMA), based in Rego Park, New York, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring aliens unlawfully into the United States, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The guilty plea was entered before United States Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara.</p>
<p>Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Brian A. Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Christian J. Schurman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director for Diplomatic Security Service, announced the guilty plea.</p>
<p>Between January 2013 and December 2014, Boyadjian and others (the conspirators) engaged in a widespread visa fraud scheme to bring foreign nationals illegally into the United States by fraudulently claiming to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that they were members of traditional Armenian performance groups and thus qualified for P-3 visas as “culturally unique” artists or entertainers.</p>
<p>The conspirators solicited foreign nationals and, in exchange for fees up to $10,000, prepared and filed fraudulent P-3 visa applications. In furtherance of the scheme, the conspirators purchased fraudulent documentation to support the applications, including fake dance certificates and staged photo sessions where the foreign nationals wore Armenian dance costumes to make it appear as though they were traditional Armenian musicians, singers and performers. Once successfully in the United States, some recipients of the fraudulently obtained P-3 visas paid additional fees to the conspirators to obtain extensions of their stays in the United States.</p>
<p>When sentenced, Boyadjian faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment for visa fraud, and an additional mandatory consecutive sentence of two years’ imprisonment for aggravated identity theft.</p>
<p>This case is a joint investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service’s Criminal Fraud Investigations and Overseas Criminal Investigations Divisions, with assistance from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate.</p>
<p>The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Gopstein and Trial Attorney Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.</p>
<p>The Defendant:</p>
<p>STELLA BOYADJIAN<br />
Age: 48<br />
Rego Park, New York</p>
<p>E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-57 (MKB)				</p>

Immigration Fraud: Eleno Quinteros Sentenced For Making False Statements in Support of Legal Permanent Resident Petitions
<h2>Airline Staffing Executive Sentenced to Prison for Years of Immigration Fraud</h2>
<p>Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Pilchak (619) 546-9709</p>
<p>SAN DIEGO – Eleno Quinteros, Jr., the former vice president of operations for two airline mechanic staffing companies, was sentenced today to 12 months in prison for making false statements in support of legal permanent resident petitions for dozens of the companies’ mechanics.</p>
<p>Quinteros previously admitted falsely certifying that he had received no payments from the mechanics, when in fact he had demanded and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars of unlawful fees from approximately 85 of them. Today, U.S. District Judge Michael M. Anello sentenced Quinteros to a year and a day in custody based on his view of the “enormity of the offense.”</p>
<p>According to his plea agreement, Quinteros demanded and collected as much as $567,480 from his foreign labor workers, even though employers are prohibited by law from demanding payment for their fees—including attorneys’ fees—in connection with the charged applications. Less than half of the money Quinteros collected was actually paid to immigration attorneys assisting with the applications, while Quinteros himself kept an estimated $372,715, according to court filings.</p>
<p>Quinteros was vice president of two different staffing companies, as set out in his plea agreement. The companies’ staff performed heavy maintenance on aircraft at a variety of airfields nationwide. Quinteros was responsible for recruiting Mexican aircraft mechanics to work in the United States for the companies, and for helping recruits to obtain work visas such as TN or H-2B visas.</p>
<p>According to the indictment, after assisting his recruits in obtaining work visas to come to the United States, Quinteros then agreed to help at least 85 of them pursue a legal permanent residency—in exchange for substantial (and unlawful) fees. Quinteros directed many employees to deposit money into his wife’s bank account, or provide him with blank money orders, in order to conceal the source of the unlawful funds. Other funds were routed through a company bank account, where Quinteros falsely described them to the company bookkeeper as a “loan” from him to the company, according to court filings.</p>
<p>Quinteros collected as much as ten or twenty thousand dollars from some workers, per court records. Although Quinteros himself was well compensated by his two companies during his scheme, some of his recruits had to sell their homes and cars to finance the unlawful fees.</p>
<p>On August 10, 2017, Quinteros pleaded guilty to a single count of making a false claim in support of an immigration application, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1546(a). He admitted in his plea, however, that the underlying scheme involved more than 25 immigration documents. Quinteros has already been ordered to pay back $292,526 in illegal fees collected from 52 of the identifiable victims of his scheme.</p>
<p>“Legal permanent residency in the United States is not a bargaining chip that greedy employers can sell to the highest bidder,” said U.S. Attorney Adam L. Braverman. “This office will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who commit immigration fraud.”</p>
<p>“The Diplomatic Security Service is firmly committed to making sure that those who commit visa fraud face consequences for their criminal actions,” said Michael Bishop, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Los Angeles Field Office. “The strong relationship we enjoy with our law enforcement partners on the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force and DSS’ global network of special agents working together to stop criminals from reaping illegal income by exploiting U.S. visas and foreign workers continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice.”</p>
<p>“As this sentence makes clear, individuals who undermine our nation’s security by compromising the integrity of our immigration laws for their own enrichment will face serious consequences,” said Joseph Macias, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles. “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, HSI will move aggressively to hold those involved in these types of criminal schemes accountable.”</p>
<p>“This is a perfect example of federal agencies working together to combat those trying to defraud the government,” stated U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Los Angeles District Director, Donna Campagnolo. “USCIS FDNS will continue playing a key role in USCIS efforts to safeguard the integrity of our immigration laws, protect American workers, and safeguard the Homeland.”</p>
<p>DEFENDANT Case No. 17-cr-557-MMA</p>
<p>Eleno “Max” Quinteros, Jr. 46 years old Chula Vista, California</p>
<p>CHARGES</p>
<p>False Statement on an Immigration Document &#8211; 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a)</p>
<p>Maximum penalty: 10 years’ imprisonment and $250,000 fine</p>
<p>AGENCIES</p>
<p>Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service</p>
<p>Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations</p>
<p>U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/airline-staffing-executive-sentenced-prisonfor-years-immigration-fraud">Original PressReleases&#8230;</a></p>

Immigration Fraud: Yousif Al Mashhandani And Adil Hasan Charged With Immigration Fraud
<p>ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Iraqi refugees living in Northern Virginia were arrested this morning and charged along with another individual with immigration fraud.</p>
<p>The defendants arrested this morning are Yousif Al Mashhandani (“Yousif”), 35, of Vienna, and Adil Hasan, 38, of Burke, who are full biological brothers. The third individual charged is Enas Ibrahim, 32, also of Burke, who is the wife of Hasan. Each is charged with attempting to obtain naturalization contrary to law. The defendants will have their initial appearance today in front of Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis at 2 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Alexandria.</p>
<p>According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, on Nov. 1, 2004, a United States citizen, identified as R.H., was kidnapped in Iraq and held with other hostages for months in horrible conditions in an underground bunker. After a raid in 2005 freed the hostages, authorities detained Majid Al Mashhadani (“Majid”), who is a full biological brother of Yousif and Adil Hasan, and he admitted his complicity in the kidnapping of R.H.</p>
<p>According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Yousif was admitted into the United States as a refugee in 2008. In May 2013, Yousif resided in Vienna and applied for naturalization as a United States citizen. In connection with Yousif’s applications for citizenship, his fingerprints were taken. According to an FBI fingerprint specialist, analysis conducted in November 2013 determined that Yousif’s fingerprints match those found on a document at the underground bunker where forces rescued R.H. and others in Iraq in 2005.</p>
<p>According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Yousif, Hasan, and Ibrahim are lawful permanent residents and have applied to naturalize and become United States citizens. On various applications and forms throughout their respective immigration processes, each has provided and an extensive list of family members and information on their respective family trees; however, none ever listed any reference to Majid.</p>
<p>According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, on March 4, 2016, FBI agents interviewed Yousif, Hasan, and Ibrahim. When FBI agents asked Yousif why he failed to include reference to Majid on the family tree form, Yousif said he omitted reference to Majid because, when he was a refugee, he was told by others applying for refugee status that he would not be allowed into the United States if any immediate family members had a criminal background. Hasan admitted to FBI agents that Majid was his brother, and Hasan and Ibrahim each admitted they discussed not including Majid’s name on their applications for refugee status because their connection to Majid might delay their ability to gain such status.</p>
<p>According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, to justify his application for refugee status, Yousif reported that in 2006, while working as an anti-corruption investigator for the Iraqi Commission on Public Integrity in Iraq, he started receiving threats from a Shiite militia known as the &#8220;Al-Mahdi Militia,&#8221; in order to coerce Yousif to drop a particular corruption investigation. Yousif said that in May 2006 Adil was kidnapped by the Al-Mahdi Militia, and only released after Yousif arranged to drop the investigation in question and helped pay a large ransom. Yousif said that after Adil was released, he reopened the corruption investigation, only to flee to Jordon in October 2006 after his parents’ house was burned down.</p>
<p>According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, to justify his application for refugee status, Hasan provided sworn testimony that, in 2006, he had been kidnapped and tortured by members of the Al-Mahdi Army and held for nearly a month. Hasan said he was released upon the payment of a ransom of $20,000. In an interview by FBI agents in April 2016, Hasan said he was threatened in Iraq on two occasions, but made no mention of being kidnapped, held hostage, and tortured for nearly a month. In a subsequent interview in October 2016, FBI agents confronted Hasan about the discrepancy in his stories and Hasan admitted to making false statements and creating his persecution story.</p>
<p>Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.</p>
<p>Dana J. Boente, Acting Deputy Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes ICE/HSI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and Collen E. Garcia are prosecuting the case.</p>
<p> ;</p>
<p>A copy of this press release is located on the website of the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao/vae"><u>U.S. Attorney’s Office</u></a> for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the <a href="http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/"><u>District Court</u></a> for the Eastern District of Virginia or on <a href="https://pcl.uscourts.gov/"><u>PACER</u></a> by searching for <b>Case No. 1:17-mj-143.</b></p>
<p>A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/iraqi-refugees-arrested-and-charged-immigration-fraud">Original PressReleases&#8230;</a></p>

Immigration Fraud: Delmar Dixon and Shakeisha Harrison Pleaded Guilty in a Conspiracy to Assist African Nationals in Circumventing Immigration Laws by Arranging Fraudulent Marriages
<h2>KC Man, Woman Plead Guilty to Marriage Fraud Conspiracy</h2>
<p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Kansas City, Mo., residents pleaded guilty in federal court today to their roles in a marriage fraud conspiracy.</p>
<p>Delmar Dixon, 49, and Shakeisha Harrison, 37, both of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to the charges contained in an Aug. 31, 2016, federal indictment.</p>
<p>Dixon and Harrison each admitted that they participated in a conspiracy to assist African nationals in circumventing immigration laws by arranging fraudulent marriages. In addition to the conspiracy, Dixon pleaded guilty to falsely swearing in an immigration matter.</p>
<p>Co-defendant Traci R. Porter, 44, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty on Jan. 19, 2017, to her role in the marriage fraud conspiracy.</p>
<p>By pleading guilty today, Dixon admitted that he arranged 30 to 40 fraudulent marriages, including his own. Dixon charged the African nationals $1,000 upfront for his services, which included providing them U.S. citizen spouses. The African nationals were additionally required to pay $500 to the spouse at the time of the wedding, and an additional $500 immediately after completion of the wedding. They were required to pay their spouses $250 each month after the weddings until the immigration process was complete. The African nationals were coached by Dixon on how to make their marriages appear legitimate.</p>
<p>In addition to arranging fraudulent marriages, Dixon engaged in a fraudulent marriage himself. Dixon obtained a marriage license on March 19, 2008, and married a Kenyan national who had entered the United States as a B2 nonimmigrant visitor but overstayed her visa.</p>
<p>Harrison admitted that she entered into a fraudulent marriage arranged by Dixon. Her spouse, a Tanzanian national, entered the United States as an F1 nonimmigrant student to attend Park University. The two were married on Feb. 12, 2010, and Harrison filed for permanent resident status for her spouse on Aug. 12, 2014.</p>
<p>Porter admitted that she was involved in the marriage fraud scheme through her own marriage and her involvement in other fraudulent marriages. In June 2008, Porter married a Kenyan national who had entered the United States as a B2 visitor. He was granted conditional lawful permanent resident status; Porter also filed petitions for an alien relative for her step-daughter and step-son. However, the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi denied the children immigrant visas because Porter and her spouse failed to establish they had a bona fide ongoing marriage, and there was a suspicion (later confirmed) that he was not legally divorced from a prior marriage. To remedy this, Porter filed for divorce and her spouse divorced his wife in Kenya, then they remarried and he was granted permanent resident status.</p>
<p>Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#8217;s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents utilized a confidential informant and an undercover agent in their investigation. The CI successfully arranged a meeting with Dixon, paid the required fees, and married the spouse provided to him by Dixon in a pretend ceremony staged by HSI. (Because the marriage was staged by HSI, it is not legally valid.) The confidential informant continued to pay the $250 monthly fee for the fraudulent purported marriage. In late December 2015, HSI initiated the operation involving the undercover agent. The agent met with Dixon (who introduced the agent to his intended spouse) and made a payment to Dixon. Dixon also offered the undercover agent $300 for each new client he referred.</p>
<p>Under federal statutes, Dixon is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Harrison and Porter are each subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.</p>
<p>This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Moore. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#8217;s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Fraud Detection and National Security.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/kc-man-woman-plead-guilty-marriage-fraud-conspiracy">Original PressReleases&#8230;</a></p>