While
federal prosecutions for white collar crime have been cut in half the past
three years, there is an increase in immigration fraud cases in large part due to the current administration's emphasis on preventing illegal immigration. A recent case
illustrates this trend.
On November 4, 2019, in the Central District of
California, an indictment was unsealed charging two men with conspiracy to
commit visa fraud by having a plan to obtain lawful permanent resident (LPR) status
for South Korean nationals by allegedly submitting fraudulent visa applications
that falsely claimed American businesses wanted to hire skilled foreign
workers.
The
named defendants are Weon Keuk Lee, a South Korean national who is also a
licensed California attorney who previously operated an immigration law firm in
Los Angeles; and Young Shin Kim, a naturalized United States citizen, who
previously operated an accounting firm in Diamond Bar, California. An
indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every
defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt.
