A Chester County woman is facing serious charges for allegedly leading a multi-year immigration fraud operation. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Fatima DeMaria, 65, was arrested and charged with 16 counts of fraud, which includes both asylum and mail fraud. Prosecutors contend DeMaria, who ran Immigration Matters Legal Services in Oxford, Pa., masqueraded as an immigration attorney to exploit undocumented immigrants seeking work permits.
Claiming to be a lawyer, DeMaria was actually neither licensed, nor accredited or authorized to represent people in immigration proceedings, as per the indictment. Between December 2021 and July 2024, she is accused of preparing fraudulent asylum applications, unbeknownst to her clients, which contained false material misstatements. Each application falsely indicated the applicants were "seeking asylum or withholding of removal" based on "political opinion" and "Torture Convention." The indictment claims DeMaria then placed the names of her unsuspecting clients on these documents, certifying them under penalty of perjury as truthful.
The consequences of DeMaria’s alleged scheme extended beyond fraudulent paperwork. Without advising her clients of the potential risks, including the likelihood of being placed in removal proceedings if their baseless asylum application was rejected, DeMaria allegedly charged individuals and couples exorbitant fees ranging from $6,000 to $15,000. According to the U.S. Attorney's press release, these payments were made often in cash or via peer-to-peer transactions and funneled into DeMaria's personal accounts – some of which were then allegedly withdrawn at casinos.
If found guilty on all charges, DeMaria faces a maximum possible sentence of 240 years in prison and a $4 million fine. Furthermore, the government is seeking forfeiture of at least $1 million, alleging it to be proceeds from her fraudulent activities. The case is an ongoing investigation as the FBI, along with other federal agencies, are calling for potential victims to step forward. Individuals with any information related to DeMaria's activities at Immigration Matters Legal Services are encouraged to contact the FBI through online forms available on their website.
The indictment is a set of accusations, and it should be noted that DeMaria, like any defendant, is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The case against her is being investigated by various federal bodies, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from other entities like USCIS and the Coast Guard Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Solow and Eileen Castilla Geiger are leading the prosecution.
