Indianapolis Attorney Joel Paul Pleads Guilty to Visa Application Scam
An Indianapolis immigration attorney has pleaded guilty to defrauding the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and over 250 of his clients by filing false visa applications and reaping approximately $750,000 in fraudulent fees.
Joel Paul, 45, of Fishers, Indiana pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson of the Southern District of Indiana to one count each of mail fraud, immigration document fraud, and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to submit fraudulent U-visa applications.
According to the plea agreement, Paul admitted that from 2013 to 2017, he submitted more than 250 false Applications for Advance Permission to Enter as a Nonimmigrant on behalf of his clients and without their knowledge. Those applications falsely asserted that Paul’s clients had been victims of a crime and had provided substantial assistance to law enforcement in investigating the crime.
With approximately 200 of the false applications, Paul submitted unauthorized copies of a certification he had obtained from the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Southern District of Indiana in 2013, using the certification without the USAO’s knowledge to falsely claim that the applicant had provided substantial assistance in a criminal prosecution.
Paul charged his clients approximately $3,000 per application. He faces sentencing in early 2018. Individuals who believe they may have been victims of the scheme described above or who have information about this matter can contact the Justice Department by phone at (202) 514-1412.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said, “Individuals who commit immigration fraud undermine and abuse our generous immigration system—a system that lawfully admits more immigrants than any other country in the world—and put our public safety and national security at risk.”
HSI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Molly Gaston, Peter M. Nothstein, and Amanda Vaughn of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
White Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar Crime