October 16, 08

NEWS / IMMIGRATION LAWYER CONVICTED OF CONSPIRING TO SUBMIT FALSE GREEN CARD APPLICATIONS BASED ON SHAM MAR

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York and MARK J. MERSHON, the Assistant
Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation ("FBI") announced that IHAB TARTIR, an
immigration lawyer based in Brooklyn, New York, was found guilty
by a jury this afternoon in Manhattan federal court of conspiring
to defraud the United States Department of Homeland Security by
helping others obtain permanent resident cards, commonly known as
“Green Cards,” through sham marriages. The Honorable GERARD E.
LYNCH presided over the six-day trial.
According to the evidence at trial, from 2002 to 2004,
TARTIR agreed to submit false Green Card applications based on
sham marriages to the Department of Homeland Security. From
December 2006 to September 2007, TARTIR again agreed to submit
false applications to the Department of Homeland Security seeking
Green Cards based on sham marriages. TARTIR met repeatedly with
individuals who had entered into, or agreed to enter into, sham
marriages, and he used his skill and training as an immigration
lawyer to advise them how to trick the immigration authorities
into believing that the marriages were genuine.
Four other defendants have pleaded guilty in this case.
TARTIR is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16, 2009.
Mr. GARCIA praised the work of the FBI and U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of
this case.
Assistant United States Attorneys DAVID B. MASSEY and
NICOLE W. FRIEDLANDER are in charge of the prosecution.
http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/nyfo101408.pdf

Tags: marriage,