Related Federal Cases
- Tax Fixer Gets 18 Months for $1.2M Fraud Scheme · Alaska
- SFO Screeners Accused of Meth Smuggling Bribery Scheme · California
- Lekhakul Brothers Busted in Thailand Gun Parts Scheme · Washington
- Brothers Nabbed in Thailand Gun Parts Scheme · Washington
- Cook Sentenced for Mortgage Fraud Scheme in Utah · Utah
Fake Asylum Scheme Exposed
Santa Ana, California – In a shocking case of immigration fraud, Haoren Ma, the owner of New Arrival Immigration Service, and his employee Minghan Dong, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a long-running scheme to prepare and file fraudulent asylum applications on behalf of hundreds of Chinese nationals.
Ma, 50, of San Gabriel, was sentenced to 4½ years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy, immigration document fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Ma’s employee, Minghan Dong, 49, of San Gabriel, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for conspiracy to commit immigration document fraud. Both men were sentenced by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney.
According to court documents, Ma and Dong charged as much as $6,500 to prepare and file fraudulent asylum applications on behalf of Chinese nationals. The duo falsely claimed that their clients fled China after being persecuted for their Christian beliefs, even in situations where the clients said they were Buddhists.
Federal authorities found that many of the asylum applications prepared by the defendants contained nearly identical accounts of purported persecution, including descriptions of underground church meetings that led to arrests and torture by Chinese authorities. As part of the scheme, Ma and Dong provided their clients with detailed written materials and audio tapes on Christianity to help them prepare for their asylum interviews.
Suspicions about New Arrival Immigration Service first arose in January 2009 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted a package containing a stuffed animal that contained five fraudulent Chinese passports. The package was being shipped to an address used as a mail drop by New Arrival Immigration Service.
During a search of New Arrival Immigration Service and related offices, investigators seized stacks of partially completed asylum applications, counterfeit Chinese consular and embassy embossing seals, financial records, and counterfeit identity documents. Ma and Dong were arrested in September 2011 by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) following the execution of the federal search warrants.
“As this sentence makes clear, those who corrupt the integrity of our nation’s legal immigration system by exploiting our country’s generous asylum laws must understand there are serious consequences for those actions,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles.
Based upon queries of databases maintained by the immigration courts, HSI investigators linked the defendants to more than 800 asylum applications filed since 2000, making it one of the largest asylum fraud cases uncovered in the Los Angeles area in recent years.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
