Manhattan attorney Charles Jason Lore has been charged with visa fraud and identity theft after authorities allege he submitted fraudulent forms to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for over 150 clients.
Lore, who was arrested this morning and presented in Manhattan federal court this afternoon, is accused of using false “no-objection letters” from trade associations representing actors, musicians, and artists to support O-1 visa applications. These letters are crucial to USCIS’s determination of whether applicants possess extraordinary ability or achievement.
According to the allegations, Lore also stole the identity of another attorney after being questioned by law enforcement about his unusually high number of requested exceptions, filing nearly 200 additional visa petitions under this victim’s name.
Lore faces one count of visa fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison; one count of aggravated identity theft, carrying a mandatory two-year sentence; and one count of mail fraud, with a potential twenty-year sentence. The investigation is ongoing, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim praised the investigative work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Longyear in the Office’s General Crimes Unit.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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