A Bronx-based Ghanaian lawyer, Kofi Amankwaa, has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for masterminding a massive immigration fraud scheme that exploited a law meant to protect victims of domestic abuse.
Amankwaa, a former immigration attorney, was handed a 70-month prison sentence by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. His sentencing follows a guilty plea in September 2024, where he admitted to orchestrating a years-long scam that defrauded both his clients and the U.S. government of millions of dollars.
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According to U.S. prosecutors, Amankwaa and his associates submitted thousands of fraudulent applications under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), falsely claiming that his clients were victims of abuse by their U.S. citizen children or family members. Shockingly, many of these clients had no idea their information was being used this way.
Charging between $3,000 and $6,000 per application, plus administrative fees, Amankwaa raked in millions while exploiting a law designed to protect real victims. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky condemned Amankwaa's actions, stating:
Kofi Amankwaa, a former immigration attorney, made a mockery of the U.S. immigration system and VAWA — a law that provides noncitizen victims of domestic abuse a path to lawful permanent residence status — by filing thousands of immigration documents falsely alleging that his clients were victims of abuse by their children or other family members.
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Using these fraudulent applications, Amankwaa secured advance parole travel documents for his clients, allowing them to travel abroad and re-enter the United States. He then used these documents to apply for permanent residency, fully aware that his clients were not actual victims of abuse.
Amankwaa’s fraudulent activities caught up with him in 2023, leading to the suspension of his law license in November. By August 2024, he was permanently disbarred.
In addition to his prison sentence, Amankwaa has been slapped with massive financial penalties:
three-year supervised release following his prison term
$13,389,000 forfeiture of illegal earnings
$16,503,425 restitution payment to his victims
Authorities are now urging victims of his fraudulent scheme to come forward and seek restitution by contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office at USANYS.VAWAFraud@usdoj.gov.
Amankwaa’s conviction sends a clear message: U.S. authorities are intensifying efforts to root out immigration fraud, and those who attempt to manipulate the system will face severe consequences.