Fraud Tracker
Tracking the latest news on immigration fraud so you don’t have to.
NJ man charged with marriage fraud to obtain US citizenship, officials say
A South Jersey man from Albania was charged with marriage fraud in what prosecutors say was a scheme to obtain U.S. citizenship, the government announced on Wednesday. The man, identified as 25-year-old Elvis Harizaj of Cherry Hill, along with his wife, 27-year-old Natasha Flores of Newark, were both charged for making false statements to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, officials said.
Deputies: Gas station clerk stages robbery to avoid deportation
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — On March 9, at 8:50 p.m., the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported robbery at Monticello EZ Mart at 3888 State Highway 215 South. The store owner, Birenkumar Patel, reported that $379 was stolen by a masked suspect who brandished an object presented as a firearm. An extensive investigation by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office determined that the robbery was staged.
Bloomington police chief calls out staged robbery, says ‘Oscar goes to’ fake victims
In a candid video statement posted by the Bloomington Police Department, Chief Booker T. Hodges didn’t hold back as he announced charges against two individuals accused of staging a robbery in a ploy to obtain immigration benefits. “You may remember on Feb. 16 a person had reported a robbery,” Hodges began, before playing surveillance footage that appeared to show a disturbing crime: a woman being dragged out of a vehicle while a small child sat inside. But as Hodges explained, the scene was all smoke and mirrors—a staged setup from the start.
Crew staged robberies to scam immigration visa extensions, DA says
Five people have been charged with conspiracy for allegedly staging fake robberies and a carjacking in an attempt to obtain special immigration visas, prosecutors said. Prosecutors identified the suspects as San Francisco residents Rickson Ivan Rodriguez-Contreras, 32, and Victor Cano-Ruiz, 46, and Redwood City residents Huritzy Gomez-Quiroz, 47; Ramon Ramirez-Mendez, 45; and Orbelina Carranza-Quintanilla, 44.
Florida Staffing Co. Charged With Tax and Immigration Fraud
Two Ukrainian nationals made their initial appearance yesterday on a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Miami charging them with crimes related to labor-staffing companies they operated in Florida. The two men were extradited from the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States last week.
Former Bronx attorney pleads guilty to immigration fraud, ordered to pay over $30 Million in restitution: Feds
Kofi Amankwaa, a former Bronx attorney accused of filing years’ worth of fraudulent immigration papers under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), pleaded guiltyto one count of immigration fraud on Sept. 17. Amankwaa, 70, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Biden administration may soon restart immigration program that was paused for possible fraud
A program that let migrants apply for U.S. entry from their home countries that was paused because of potential mass fraud may be revived by the Biden administration as soon as this week, even though thousands of suspect applications still need review, two sources told NBC News.
Uzbek National Sentenced For Role In Long-Running Immigration And Passport Fraud Conspiracy
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton has sentenced Dilrabo Obidova (36, Uzbekistan) for her role in a long-running immigration and passport fraud conspiracy. The Court sentenced Obidova to a time-served sentence reflecting the time Obidova was detained pending trial. The Court has also entered an order immediately deporting Obidova to Uzbekistan with no option to apply for asylum or any other immigration relief. Obidova entered a guilty plea in May 2024. Obidova’s husband, Abduvosit Razikov, was charged in the same indictment. He remains at-large.
Harris’s illegal immigration fraud factory
If you wanted to design a program that simultaneously exploited vulnerable migrants, enriched human traffickers, and flooded our nation with illegal immigrants, you could not come up with a better policy than the Biden–Harris CHNV parole program.
Secret US immigration loophole EXPOSED: It was created to fight crime, but the victims' visa is bulging to 400,000 cases and migrants stage FAKE robberies to get one
To onlookers, they look just like regular robberies — thugs pulling knives or guns on victims in gas stations, restaurants or parking lots, punching them and making off with a purse or a wallet. In reality, the stick up is fake, and the attacker is being paid by their 'victim,' most often an illegal immigrant who is staging the underhand ruse to secure a permanent home in the US.
Small detail on Reddit post unraveled foreign student's lies that got him a free-ride worth $85k at US university
A foreign student admitted to fabricating documents and lying about his life in order to falsely secure a free-ride scholarship after he left a tiny detail on a Reddit post. 19-year-old Aryan Anand was awarded the financial award in order to attend Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
San Antonio Woman Sentenced to 14 Years for Immigration Fraud and Smuggling
Kimberly Cruz, a 35-year-old San Antonio resident, has been sentenced to a 14-year federal prison term after masquerading as a legal advocate in an immigration-related fraud scheme. Court documents revealed that Cruz’s operation, which ran from April through October 2019, involved duping migrants and their families into believing she was an attorney capable of assisting them with their entry into the U.S.
Six Defendants Indicted on Federal Fraud Charge for Allegedly Staging Robberies To Apply for Immigration Visas
Six individuals conspired to stage armed robberies in Chicago and the suburbs so that the purported victims could apply for U.S. immigration visas reserved for certain crime victims, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court in Chicago.
New Mexico Supreme Court: Victim immigration history can’t be disclosed
New Mexico’s highest court says evidence related to an individual’s immigration status cannot be used in court proceedings in certain cases. The New Mexico Supreme Court says T and U visa application material will be prohibited in court cases within the state.
US Supreme Court to Review ‘Sham Marriage’ Immigration Finding
The US Supreme Court agreed to take up another case on whether courts can review visa determinations for spouses of American citizens. The justices on Monday agreed to consider whether Amina Bouarfa, a US citizen whose husband’s visa was originally approved, can challenge the Department of Homeland Security’s revocation of that visa.
It’s time to eliminate the U visa
It is bad enough that illegal immigrants are paying criminals to stage fake robberies so they can pretend to help law enforcement solve crimes, but now, Democratic sheriffs are passing out visas like candy to illegal immigrants who attack Republicans. It is far past time to put an end to all these shenanigans by eliminating the U visa.
Woman fakes robbery to obtain a U Visa
Three people are accused of conspiring to fake a robbery because one of the suspects wanted a U Visa. Prosecutors said Valenzuela Cruz offered Rivas Mardones $2,000 to pretend to rob her, so Valenzuela Cruz could get a U Visa which grants citizenship to victims of a crime. Fernandez admitted to being a getaway driver.
Texas man killed by bystander in what appeared to be a robbery. It turned out the robbery was a staged immigration fraud
An unnamed bystander in Texas did what Texans often do in January, and used his firearm to stop what appeared to be a violent robbery in progress. Now, police are saying that the "robbery" was in fact staged for the benefit of a fraudulent visa application, but the "robber" is still dead, and the fake "victims" are apparently nowhere to be found.
RHOA’ Porsha Williams’ text messages reveal husband’s immigration fraud motivated divorce
The divorce between Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams and Simon Guobadia includes allegations that Simon engaged in immigration fraud. According to court documents, Williams stated “that the news reports of Husband’s alleged immigration fraud, and what appeared to be an imminent threat of deportation, were shocking and affected Wife’s mental and emotional wellbeing.”
ICE investigation leads to convicted child molester’s indictment for naturalization fraud
ICE officers initiated an investigation that led to the indictment of a convicted child molester. According to the indictment, on May 9, 2017, Robert Davis fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by making a false statement under oath regarding his naturalization application. In response to the question “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered “no.” He also denied having ever forced anyone to have sexual contact or sexual relations.