Houston immigration lawyer gets 4 years for visa fraud

Houston Chronicle ^ | July 13, 2007 | SUSAN CARROLL

[Dubya]

A federal judge sentenced a Houston immigration lawyer to more than four years in prison Friday for her role in an elaborate Chinese visa fraud scheme.

Yali Huang, 44, cried as she appealed to U.S. District Judge David Hittner moments before the sentencing. She was convicted of conspiracy and visa fraud in February after a two-and-a-half week jury trial that detailed a scheme to file false documents in support of temporary business visa and employment-based green card applications.

"Nineteen years ago I came to this country to pursue the American dream," she said, standing before the judge in a green prison jumpsuit. "I never imagined my American dream would end like this."

"But I respect the jury," she said. "I just ask you for mercy."

During the February trial, prosecutors said the fraud ring operated from 2000 to 2005 and was known within the city's Chinese community. The trial coincided with an national increase in prosecution of immigration fraud, which is considered widespread but difficult to quantify, according to a May report by the Congressional Research Service, a public policy research arm of Congress.

Indictments for immigration fraud rose from 709 in fiscal year 2004 to 1,065 in 2005, according to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration Statistics. During the same time frame, convictions rose from 533 to 1,135.

In 2005, the most recent statistics available, 75,532 people were removed from the U.S. for immigration fraud, about 36 percent of all formal removals that year.

Huang was accused of committing fraud using two separate immigration programs. She forged documents for clients applying for extensions for temporary business visas, writing letters purportedly from Chinese companies, and in some cases, using a dummy corporation called Ultra Controls set up with her husband, prosecutors said. She also was accused of participating in a green card fraud scheme that involved creating fake stock certificates and forging signatures.

Prosecutor Gregg Costa said it must have been difficult for Huang to come to the U.S. as an immigrant, learn English, graduate from law school and pass the bar exam. "She was realizing the American dream, and this is a sad case," he said.

But Costa said the fraud was not an isolated incident, but a pattern that showed a lack of concern for the truth.

Hittner sentenced Huang to 51 months and ordered her to pay a $10,000 fine, calling the facts in the case egregious.

"This defendant is an attorney," he said, ordering her to notify the Texas State Bar in writing of her conviction.

Huang's co-conspirators in the green card scheme were also sentenced on Friday. Houston residents Ping Lee Cohen and her ex-husband Kenneth Cohenran a company called Asia Access and charged up to $60,000 per client, according to prosecutors.

Ping Lee Cohen, who was dressed in a conservative navy blue suit in court Friday, was the prosecution's star witness against Huang. At trial, Ping Lee Cohen outlined a scheme in which the conspirators falsely claimed that applicants worked for an American subsidiary of a Chinese company. The 55-year-old admitted to prosecutors that she received tens of thousands of dollars for filing fraudulent green card applications.

Ping Lee Cohen recruited U.S. companies to participate in the scheme as "sponsors" for Chinese clients, and hired Huang's office to file fake documents including stock certificates and minutes from board of directors meetings, according to prosecutors. The American companies were not told that the "sponsorship" involved any kind of fraud, representatives from two businesses said during the trial.

Ping Lee Cohen was sentenced to about a year in prison. Her ex-husband, Kenneth Cohen, 65, also was sentenced Friday to three years probation. Hittner finalized a forfeiture judgment against the Cohens worth $271,000, identified as proceeds from the fraudulent applications, prosecutors said.

Huang's assistant, Yongping Mary Liu, 49, also was convicted of one count of visa fraud and acquitted on four other counts at the February trial. She was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in prison.

Both Huang and Liu, who are lawful permanent residents of the United States, are subject to deportation upon their release from prison. Ping Lee Cohen is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

susan.carroll@chron.com

[Dubya]

Ping Lee Cohen recruited U.S. companies to participate in the scheme as "sponsors" for Chinese clients, and hired Huang's office to file fake documents including stock certificates and minutes from board of directors meetings, according to prosecutors. The American companies were not told that the "sponsorship" involved any kind of fraud, representatives from two businesses said during the trial.

[VOA]

Prosecutor Gregg Costa said it must have been difficult for Huang to
come to the U.S. as an immigrant, learn English, graduate from
law school and pass the bar exam.

And selectively ignored the course material if Huang took
any sort of "Legal Ethics" class.

[Secret Agent Man]

You don’t have to be taught in ethics class that what she did was wrong.

[liberty or death]

Zero ethics China. Survival of the fittest!

[Heartland Mom]

She should be disbarred and then deported. Some American dream.

[GATOR NAVY]

I don’t care about this illegal alien case because I only hate mexicans. /lindsey gramnesty description of me

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks, very interesting read.

[VOA]

Zero ethics China. Survival of the fittest!

It's not just the American legal system that suffers ill effect
from this cultural invasion.

I know some American grunts that work in some top-flight biological
research groups.

They say that some (NOT ALL) of the Chinese imports have no
concept of Western ethics when it comes to being "lords of the lab"
and hijacking the fruits of their lab-mates labors.
BUT, the most maddening thing is that some professors refuse
to take the offenders to task and familiarize them with civilized standards
of conduct.
That would be "culturally-insensitive", don't you know.

There is a reason some gifted young Americans aren't going into
research science.

And not all of them are the mental challenges of such a life.

[varon]

"Nineteen years ago I came to this country to pursue the American dream," she said, standing before the judge in a green prison jumpsuit. "I never imagined my American dream would end like this."

I don't know what books you've been reading, lady, but to most native born Americans and legal immigrants, the American dream IS NOT to become a crook.

[stan_sipple]

It appears most states dont even require US citizenship to become a lawyer in the first place. Lets go back to admitting to the bar only American citizens.

[Tennessee Nana]

“Nineteen years ago I came to this country to pursue the American dream,” she said, standing before the judge in a green prison jumpsuit. “I never imagined my American dream would end like this”

And a nightmare for the innocent American citizens who become the victims of illegal alierns who are not meant to be in this country...

A big part of the American dream is loving and respecting America and her laws...

[Paul Ross]

There may be a national security issue implicit here besides the immigration fraud and border security.

Precisely what kind of Chinese was she trying to sneak in? Espionage agents? Saboteurs? Fifth columnists. Etc. Had to be more than simple filthy lucre at bottom here. After all, she had a law degree, a law license, and the knowledge of Chinese language. How many American firms would have hired to get that combination?

[Dubya]

There may be a national security issue implicit here besides the immigration fraud and border security.

There sure could be.Good point to bring out.

[Alamo-Girl]

Hmmmm ... Thanks for the ping!