A Bronx-based Ghanaian lawyer, Kofi Amankwaa, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for masterminding a large-scale immigration fraud scheme.
The scheme exploited a law designed to protect victims of domestic abuse, defrauding both Amankwaa’s clients and the US government of millions of dollars Amankwaa, a 70-year-old former immigration attorney, was handed the prison sentence by US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla on February 26, 2025.
His sentencing follows a guilty plea in September 2024, where he admitted to orchestrating the yearslong scam.
According to US prosecutors, Amankwaa and his associates submitted thousands of fraudulent applications under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
They falsely claimed that Amankwaa’s clients were victims of abuse by their US citizen children or family members. Many of these clients were unaware that their information was being used in this way.
Amankwaa charged his clients between $3,000 and $6,000 per application, plus administrative fees, raking in millions while exploiting a law designed to protect real victims.
Acting US Attorney Matthew Podolsky condemned Amankwaa’s actions, stating that he made a mockery of the US immigration system and VAWA ¹ In addition to his prison sentence, Amankwaa faces significant financial penalties, including:
1 Three-year supervised release following his prison term
2. $13,389,000 forfeiture of illegal earnings
3. $16,503,425 restitution payment to his victims.
Authorities are urging victims of Amankwaa’s fraudulent scheme to come forward and seek restitution by contacting the US Attorney’s Office at USANYS.VAWAFraud@usdoj.g ov.
