An immigration attorney from New York’s Queens borough was charged in federal court Wednesday for lying on more than 180 asylum applications in order to improve her clients chances of being granted legal protections to enter or remain in the U.S.
Andreea Dumitru was charged with one count of asylum fraud and one count of making false statements, which carry a 10-year and 5-year prison sentence, respectively.
“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. Now, Dumitru will enter a courtroom as a defendant to face the consequences for her alleged actions,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge Angel M. Melendez said in a statement.
Geoffrey S. Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Dumitru was fully aware the statements she made on asylum applicant applicants were false.
The indictment states Dumitru submitted inaccurate I-589 forms from 2012 to 2017. Among the items she lied about on applications were criminal histories, stories about needing to flee persecution in one’s home country, and individuals’ locations.
Non-Americans who apply for asylum are claiming they are unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to past persecution or fear of persecution if they return. One’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion must be the basis for persecution.
U.S. District Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan will hear the case.
