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Kofi Amankwaa, a Bronx-based former immigration attorney, pleads guilty to large-scale immigration fraud in New York.
Bronx, New York – Kofi Amankwaa, a 70-year-old attorney from South River, New Jersey, pled guilty to one count of immigration fraud in connection with his supervision of a multi-year scheme to file fraudulent immigration documents under the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”).
According to the allegations, Amankwaa and others at his direction instructed clients to sign fraudulent Form I-360 VAWA Petitions falsely stating that the clients were abused by their U.S. citizen children. Amankwaa also signed the petitions, under penalty of perjury, as the attorney preparer.
The scheme involved thousands of immigration documents being filed falsely alleging abuse by family members. Amankwaa used the filing of the fraudulent Form I-360 VAWA Petitions as a basis to request his clients’ advance parole travel documents, which enabled individuals without legal status in the U.S. to travel abroad temporarily and return.
Amankwaa charged his clients between $3,000 and $6,000 for his services, plus administrative fees. In total, Amankwaa profited millions of dollars from his scheme. He has agreed to forfeit $13,389,000 and pay $16,503,425 in restitution to his victims.
Amankwaa’s license to practice law in the State of New York was suspended in November 2023, and in August 2024, Amankwaa was disbarred. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Newark Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations and thanked the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security for their support in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Z. Margulies is in charge of the prosecution.
Defendant: Kofi Amankwaa
Criminal Charges: One count of immigration fraud
City and State: Bronx, New York
Date: September 2016 through November 2023
Sentence: Faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; has agreed to forfeit $13,389,000 and pay $16,503,425 in restitution
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Immigration Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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