Kofi Amankwaa, a 70-year-old disbarred Bronx-based immigration attorney, pleaded guilty to federal charges of immigration fraud on Tuesday, September 17th. For years, he operated a fraudulent scheme, coaching immigrants to falsely claim domestic abuse to expedite their pathway to legal residency in the United States. He now faces up to 10 years in prison and a restitution payment of up to $16 million to his victims.
From 2016 to 2023, Amankwaa and his staff falsely filed thousands of Form I-360 VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) petitions, claiming his clients were victims of abuse by their U.S. citizen children. Using this as a basis, he sought to obtain “advance parole travel” documents for his clients, allowing them to travel internationally and return to the U.S., ultimately assisting in their application for permanent residency. Amankwaa charged his clients between $3,000 and $6,000 for these services. However, the majority of these applications were rejected as fraudulent, leaving many of his clients in precarious legal situations.
The scheme exploited provisions under the VAWA, which offers noncitizen victims of domestic abuse a path to lawful permanent residence. Amankwaa filed these petitions knowing his clients had not been abused or without asking if such abuse had occurred. In November 2023, his law license was suspended following numerous client complaints, and by August 2024, he was officially disbarred. As part of his plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit $13,389,000 and pay $16,503,425 in restitution.
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, highlighted that Amankwaa’s actions undermined trust in the U.S. immigration system and victimized vulnerable individuals seeking legal status. Amankwaa’s scheme has not only exploited his clients but also created complications for those genuinely seeking a legal pathway to residency.
The investigation was led by the Newark Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security. Authorities urge anyone who believes they may be a victim of this scheme to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
