VAWA stands for the Violence Against Women Act, a federal law enacted in 1994 that provides protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the United States or by a U.S. citizen. VAWA also provides non-citizen victims of domestic abuse a path to lawful U.S. permanent residence status. It is a law that reflects the United States’ values of safety and well-being for individuals. But fraudsters have different values. And they certainly don’t respect federal laws. Kofi Amankwaaa, a Bronx-based former immigration attorney, violated VAWA by filing thousands of immigration documents falsely alleging that his clients were victims of abuse — gaining them fraudulent entry into the United States and pocketing thousands of dollars from each client to do so.
From September 2016 through November 2023, Amankwaaa met with clients and instructed them to fraudulently sign the Form I-360 VAWA Petitions falsely stating that the clients were abused by their U.S. citizen children. Amankwaaa then used the fraudulently signed forms as a basis to request his clients’ advance parole travel documents — documents that enable individuals without legal status in the U.S. to travel abroad temporarily and return. With those documents, Amankwaaa directed his clients to travel abroad and return to the U.S., at which point Amankwaaa used the reentry into the United States as a basis for his clients to apply for lawful permanent resident status.
Amankwaaa carried out his illegal services knowing that his clients had not, in fact, been abused by their children or without asking whether any such abuse occurred. There were no guarantees using his services. Amankwaaa was often unsuccessful in obtaining lawful permanent resident status for his clients but would still demand payment for his services which were typically between $3,000 and $6,000 for each petition.
On February 27, 2025, Amankwaa was sentenced to almost six years in prison for immigration fraud.
Great job by the Newark Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Former Bronx immigration attorney sentenced to nearly six years for fraud scheme” published by the Bronx Times on February 27, 2025.
Kofi Amankwaa, a former Bronx immigration attorney, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison on Feb. 26 for orchestrating a yearslong immigration fraud scheme that led to the deportation of some of his clients.
Amankwaa, who practiced in the South Bronx, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to filing fraudulent applications on behalf of his clients. He falsely claimed that they were victims of abuse by their children or other relatives, seeking legal status for them under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
