A man accused of advising straight immigrants to claim homosexuality - and potential persecution in their home countries - when they applied for asylum has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Steven Mahoney held himself out as an expert in immigration affairs and ran Mahoney and Associates in Kent, which advised immigrants on how to stay in the U.S. He pleaded guilty in April, acknowledging that between 1998 and 2007 he filed as many as 99 false immigration documents and was paid between $1,000 and $4,000 for each.
In addition to false claims of homosexuality, he advised some clients to claim they could be tortured due to their religious practices or political views.
His ex-wife, Helen Mahoney, was sentenced to six months. Both are naturalized U.S. citizens from Russia.
Washington man gets 18 months in gay immigration fraud
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Fight4theRight 939 days ago
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Promoting public awareness of the need for fairness in immigration policy particularly as it relates to the rights of same-sex bi-national couples in the United States who seek equal immigration rights; Providing information regarding political issues relating to gay immigration equality issues, rights and policy.
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