South Windsor woman Khatija Khan, 40, pleaded guilty today to running a calculated scam that preyed on vulnerable immigrants desperate for legal status. Khan, who falsely claimed to be an attorney, exploited clients with limited English and no understanding of U.S. immigration law, submitting fraudulent applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) while pocketing their money.
Khan and her husband operated two shell companies — JLLAS CORP. and EIMAAN LLC — under the guise of offering immigration services. Between May 2015 and January 2018, they targeted undocumented immigrants, many of whom were living in fear and unaware that the petitions filed on their behalf contained lies and forged documents. These falsified filings were mailed to USCIS and became part of official government records.
Despite having no legal credentials, Khan presented herself as a licensed immigration attorney. She and her husband filed applications with zero merit, knowing full well they had no chance of approval. Clients paid thousands of dollars only to be left in the dark, denied relief, and in some cases, exposed to deportation due to the false claims submitted in their names.
Even after her arrest on December 19, 2019, Khan didn’t stop. She continued to defraud multiple clients, prolonging the harm and deepening the betrayal. The scheme bilked victims out of a total of $326,212 — money often scraped together from low-wage jobs and borrowed from relatives.
Khan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of mail fraud, each carrying a maximum 20-year prison sentence. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill set sentencing for February 11, 2022. She remains free on a $50,000 bond. Her husband, also involved in the operation, is awaiting trial and presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, with support from USCIS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen is prosecuting the case. Victims are urged to contact Ines Cenatiempo, Victim-Witness Coordinator, at Ines.Cenatiempo@usdoj.gov or 203-821-3757.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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