New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Kofi Amankwaa, a Bronx immigration lawyer, and others in his office (Sylvester Boateng, Nana Adoma Kontoh, Betty Smith, and Kofi Amankwaa, Jr), for running an illegal scheme that scammed hundreds of vulnerable immigrants.
Their scheme got their victims into paying thousands of dollars for fraudulent services that caused many to be deported or have their green card applications denied.
From 2018 through 2023, Amankwaa and the other defendants charged immigrant clients thousands of dollars to submit paperwork on their behalf to secure green cards for their clients.
Unbeknownst to their clients, Amankwaa and the other defendants were also illegally submitting separate petitions falsely claiming that their children were abusing them.
These petitions were filed under the Violence Against Women Act, which allows victims of abuse by a U.S.-born child over 21 years old to seek lawful permanent residency.
As a result of their illegal actions, several of their clients were deported while others were denied their green cards.
With this lawsuit, Attorney General James is seeking an order to immediately halt Amankwaa and the defendants’ illegal scheme, and force them to pay restitution and damages to the affected customers, in addition to civil penalties to the state.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed a parallel criminal action today, charging and arresting Mr. Amankwaa and Kofi Amankwaa, Jr. for carrying out a large-scale immigration fraud scheme.
“People who immigrate to America are often vulnerable and simply trying to build better lives for themselves and their loved ones,” said Attorney General James.
“When these immigrants sought help from attorneys claiming to act in their best interests, they were taken advantage of and harmed instead. This cruel and illegal scheme led to them being separated from their families and deported.
“I thank Assemblymember Cruz for bringing this issue to light and for her tireless work to protect our most vulnerable communities. I will not tolerate fraudsters who prey on the vulnerable and take advantage of people asking for help.”
“Hundreds of hardworking undocumented New Yorkers sought help from Attorney Kofi Amankwaa to regularise their status. Mr. Amankwaa charged them thousands of dollars and engaged in unethical and unconscionable conduct that led to the deportation of many of them,” said Assemblymember Catalina Cruz.
“These families simply wanted the American Dream and trusted Mr. Amankwaa as their lawyer; instead, he committed the most depraved of violations and his actions led to forced separation from their families.
“After several of his victims approached our office seeking help, we immediately referred the case to the Attorney General’s office, while we continued to support their families. I am thankful to Attorney General James and her team for holding this immigration scammer accountable. I look forward to justice being served.”
An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that Amankwaa and the others working in his office knowingly and repeatedly filed false petitions on behalf of their clients.
These petitions identified each client as the parent of an abusive United States citizen, which would allow the client to petition for a green card.
However, Amankwaa and the others did not inform their clients that they were doing this and refused to provide them with copies of the filed documents. As a result, clients were unaware that attorneys were falsely accusing their own children of abuse in their name.
Source: Joy News