Deacon convicted for helping Immigrants lie to the Feds
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A Deacon from New York is convicted for abusing the asylum option in the U.S. immigration system through coaching Chinese immigrants how to lie to the feds in order to be able to come to the U.S. legally. She is now facing four counts of immigration-fraud charges and up to 25 years in jail.
Liying Lin was a deacon at the Full Gospel Global Mission Church who offered paid lessons on Christianity to immigrants. She would allegedly coach them on what to say to immigration officials to convince them that they were being persecuted in China because of their religion and be granted asylum. She submitted several asylum applications with fabricated claims of persecution.
Lin would also participate in the asylum interviews by serving as a translator and supplying immigrants with false documents to support their persecution claims. “Liying Lin fraudulently exploited a program designed to provide a safe haven for actual victims of persecution,” said Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bhahara.
Lin’s lawyer, Kenneth Paul, is unsatisfied with the trial and plans to appeal for his client. He still says her main goal was to teach the immigrants about Christianity and is “very disappointed.” When Judge Robert Patterson Jr. rules on her case, she may be sentenced to 25 years in prison. Lin is only one of 26 defendants who are indicted for participating in “separate but overlapping immigration-fraud schemes.”
Because applying for a visa under the current backlogged system may take years, some individuals are desperate to try any measures that will let them into the U.S. sooner. Unfortunately, many scammers are taking advantage of other’s difficult situations and extorting money from immigrants.
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