Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KHATIJA KHAN, 40, of South Windsor, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to offenses related to a scheme through which individuals seeking immigration services were defrauded.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Khan and her husband operated JLLAS CORP. and EIMAAN LLC, which were created to provide services to clients involved in proceedings with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). Between approximately May 2015 and January 2018, Khan and her husband recruited clients who sought some form of immigration status, relief or benefit. Many of these clients are aliens residing in the U.S. without legal status and had limited education, a limited ability to understand English, and little to no knowledge of the documents that Khan and her husband were filing with USCIS on their behalf.
Khan represented herself as an attorney with a background in immigration matters, even though she was not an attorney. Khan and her husband prepared petitions and applications for their clients that contained information that they knew to be false. They also fabricated false documents to support their clients’ applications with USCIS without their clients’ knowledge. They then mailed, or caused to be mailed, these fraudulent applications and documents to USCIS, where they were received and made part of the official Alien file of each respective client.
Many of Khan’s clients received no relief from USCIS despite paying her and her husband significant amounts of money. To generate fees from clients, Khan filed applications with USCIS even when the submissions lacked merit or a legitimate basis.
Khan and her husband were arrested on December 19, 2019. After her arrest, Khan continued to defraud multiple clients.
Victims identified to date lost a total of $326,212 as a result of this scheme.
Khan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of mail fraud, each of which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for February 11, 2022. Khan is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
As to Khan’s husband, who is awaiting trial, Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.
Individuals who believe they have been victimized by this scheme contact Ines Cenatiempo, Victim-Witness Coordinator of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, at Ines.Cenatiempo@usdoj.gov or by phone at 203-821-3757.
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