An immigration attorney in New York City was found guilty this week in federal court of fraud after reportedly filing over a hundred falsified asylum claims for new immigrants, including misrepresenting their criminal histories and claims of persecution.
Immigration authorities say Andreea Dumitru, a lawyer based out of Queens, was found guilty Nov. 19 in Manhattan federal court of asylum fraud, making false statements to immigration authorities, and aggravated identity theft after knowingly made false statements and representations on more than 100 asylum applications between 2013 and 2017.
“Specifically, Dumitru submitted over 100 applications in which she knowingly made false statements and representations about, among other things, the applicants’ personal narratives of alleged persecution, criminal histories, and travel histories. Dumitru deliberately fabricated detailed personal stories of purported mistreatment of her clients, forged her clients’ signatures, and falsely notarized affidavits.
At the time of her arrest earlier this year, HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Angel M. Melendez stated that “Dumitru is alleged to have used her trusted position to defraud the government, submitting fraudulent documents to claim asylum. Her alleged actions took up time and resources while those with valid asylum claims waited in line.”
According to the Justice Department, Dumitru was indicted for filing more than 180 fabricated asylum claims.
(Cover Photo: Flickr/Fibonacci Blue)