Richard Kassel, Immigration Fraud, New York 2015
A New York lawyer has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in a scheme to obtain immigration visas for clients based on fraudulent diplomas and transcripts.
RICHARD KASSEL, 51, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit immigration fraud on April 15, 2015. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison, a $6,000 fine, 2 years supervised release, and $187,000 in forfeiture by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.
KASSEL's scheme involved instructing his clients to obtain fraudulent diplomas and transcripts from schools they had not attended, and then submitting these documents to U.S. immigration authorities in support of their applications for employment-based immigration visas.
The scheme was uncovered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations.
KASSEL's law firm typically charged thousands of dollars from clients in exchange for these fraudulent services, on top of money paid by KASSEL's clients directly to KASSEL's co-conspirators for the creation of the fraudulent documents.
Vaclav Haloda, who created false documents, and Rosanna Almonte, KASSEL's office assistant who helped coordinate the creation of false documents, have also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit immigration fraud.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations.
The case is being handled by the Office's General Crimes Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Griswold and Drew Johnson-Skinner in charge of the prosecution.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →