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| English: This is the image that the US DHS ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) put on the homepage of the websites it seized in Nov 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Authorities
have identified several dozen aliens who improperly received
immigrations benefits, but that number is growing as the
investigation continues.
An
18-count superseding indictment was returned Tuesday afternoon, it
outlined a wide-ranging bribery and long-running immigration fraud
scheme that included a former immigration officer, a Department of
Homeland Security agent and in officer with the U. S. Citizen and
Immigration Services.
The
conspiracy was allegedly orchestrated by attorney Kwang Man "John"
Lee , who paid bribes to his Hyannis $10,000 to several immigration
officials to help secure immigration benefits for aliens he
represented.
Those
indicted in the case are:
- USCIS Supervisory Officer Jesus Figueroa, 66, of Tujunga;
- former USCIS Officer Paul Lovingood, 71, of Newhall, who surrendered to federal authorities Wednesday morning;
- James Dominguez, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), 46, of Ventura, who surrendered to federal authorities Wednesday morning;
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer Michael Anders, 53, of Torrance; and
- Mirei Hofmann, 38, of Los Angeles, a native of Japan, who allegedly paid Lee tens of thousands of dollars to secure a permanent resident card.
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| English: The headquarters of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The
four current and former government officials named in Tuesday's
indictment allegedly conducted a number of official acts to help
Lee's clients obtain immigration benefits. For example, the
indictment specifically alleges that Figueroa, Dominguez and
Lovingood added documents to, and removed documents from, immigration
files (A-files) related to Lee's clients. In exchange for their
official acts, Lee allegedly paid the officials with cash and
expensive gifts – including at least three Thailand vacations for
Dominguez, computers and television sets for Lovingood, and thousands
of dollars in cash for Figueroa.
Lee
allegedly paid bribes to public officials to secure admission stamps
and lawful permanent residency status for aliens who paid fees
ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than $50,000. Lee paid
bribes to government officials, with payments ranging from $50 to as
much as $10,000 given to an officer with U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS).
