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Five Indicted in Massive Immigration Fraud Scheme
LOS ANGELES – A long-running immigration fraud scheme, fueled by official corruption, has been exposed in a grand jury indictment that names five individuals, including a former immigration officer who surrendered to federal authorities this morning.
The indictment, returned yesterday afternoon, alleges that Kwang Man “John” Lee, a Los Angeles attorney, paid bribes as high as $10,000 to officials with several agencies in the Department of Homeland Security to help secure immigration benefits for aliens he was representing. The bribes were allegedly paid to public officials to secure admission stamps and lawful permanent residency status for aliens who paid fees ranging from a few hundred dollars to well over $50,000.
The indictment charges Jesus Figueroa, a 66-year-old USCIS Supervisory Officer from Tujunga, James Dominguez, a 46-year-old special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) from Ventura, Paul Lovingood, a 71-year-old former USCIS Officer from Newhall, Michael Anders, a 53-year-old U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer from Torrance, and Mirei Hofmann, a 38-year-old native of Japan and Los Angeles resident, with participating in the bribery scheme.
The indictment alleges two conspiracies involving bribery and fraud against the United States, as well as seven counts of bribery, two counts of making false statements, three counts of misuse of government seals (USCIS approval stamps), three counts of false stamps, and Hofmann is charged alone in one count of immigration fraud.
Authorities have identified several dozen aliens who improperly received immigrations benefits, but that number is growing as the investigation continues.
“The allegations in this case concern federal law enforcement officers selling their services and betraying their oaths to our nation so they could profit from a clandestine immigration fraud ring that allowed scores of aliens to improperly enter and reside in the United States,” said United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. “Immigration fraud subverts the orderly process of citizenship and compromises the security of the homeland. We will do everything possible to protect our system of government when it is threatened by public officials who are more concerned with private profit than upholding the law.”
The four current and former government officials named in yesterday’s indictment allegedly conducted a number of official acts to help Lee’s clients obtain immigration benefits. For example, the indictment states that Lee paid bribes to government officials, with payments ranging from $50 to as much as $10,000 given to an officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The indictment also alleges that Lee paid tens of thousands of dollars to Mirei Hofmann to secure a permanent resident card. Hofmann allegedly paid Lee fees ranging from a few hundred dollars to well over $50,000 to secure immigration benefits.
The indictment charges the five defendants with various counts of conspiracy, bribery, and fraud. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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