UK Man Pleads Guilty to Visa Fraud for Basketball Academy Scam

Michael A. Rawson, 48, of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty in federal court in Greenville, South Carolina, to conspiracy to commit visa fraud—a crime that exposed a sham scheme to exploit the U.S. immigration system for profit. Rawson admitted to fabricating a transatlantic business operation to justify his entry into the United States under an L1 visa, designed only for legitimate intra-company transfers.

The visa fraud case centers on 22ft Basketball Academy, a for-profit venture Rawson established in South Carolina. Prosecutors say Rawson and associates falsely claimed that 22ft Dutch, a related entity based in Europe, was operational and would continue functioning after Rawson’s move to the U.S. In reality, 22ft Dutch had no office, no operations, and ceased business entirely—killing any legitimacy behind the intra-company transfer claim.

Evidence presented during the change of plea hearing revealed a calculated deception. Rawson used ties to Shannon Forrest Christian School and Anderson Christian School to lend credibility to the academy, but the foundation was built on lies. Immigration authorities were misled into believing a thriving overseas company backed Rawson’s relocation—when in fact, the entity existed only on paper.

Senior United States District Judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr., accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Rawson after reviewing the presentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. The court did not set a timeline for sentencing, but the stakes are high: Rawson now faces up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.

The investigation was conducted by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, which peeled back layers of financial and corporate fiction to expose the scheme. Authorities found no evidence of payroll, client contracts, or sustained operations in Europe—just a paper trail designed to deceive immigration officials and secure entry into the United States under false pretenses.

Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins prosecuted the case out of the Greenville office. U.S. Attorney Beth Drake emphasized that immigration benefits will not be exploited by foreign entrepreneurs running hollow operations. “Fraud undermines the integrity of our legal immigration system,” Drake said. “This conviction sends a message: we’re watching, and we will prosecute those who lie to gain entry.”

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