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Ted News Ghana Blog of Sunday, 2 March 2025
Source: TEDDY VAVA GAWUGA
Former Immigration Lawyer Sentenced to 70 Months for Multi-Million Dollar VAWA Fraud
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A Bronx-based former immigration attorney, Kofi Amankwaa, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for orchestrating a large-scale immigration fraud scheme involving fraudulent applications 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. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla handed down the sentence.
Court documents revealed that Amankwaa and his associates filed thousands of fraudulent immigration applications, falsely claiming that his clients were victims of abuse by their U.S. citizen family members. Many of his clients were unaware of these false claims, yet they were charged between $3,000 and $6,000 in fees.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky condemned Amankwaa’s actions, stating, “He made a mockery of the U.S. immigration system and VAWA by filing thousands of fraudulent documents.”
The fraudulent applications were used to obtain advance parole travel documents, enabling clients to travel abroad and re-enter the U.S. before applying for permanent residency under false pretenses.
Disbarment and Financial Penalties
Amankwaa’s law license was suspended in November 2023, and he was officially disbarred in August 2024. In addition to his prison sentence, he 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 to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at USANYS.VAWAFraud@usdoj.gov for potential restitution.
Ongoing Investigation
The case was investigated by the Newark Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations, with support from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Z. Margulies prosecuted the case, assisted by Paralegal Specialist Samantha Roberts.
Amankwaa’s conviction underscores ongoing efforts to combat immigration fraud and uphold the integrity of the legal system.
