Glenview Lawyer Accused of Falsifying Asylum Applications

A Glenview lawyer and his translator are facing federal charges that they submitted false asylum applications on behalf of clients seeking to live legally in the U.S., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Robert DeKelaita, 51, of Glenview, who works out of Morton Grove, and interpreter Adam Benjamin, 61, of Skokie, have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit immigration and naturalization fraud. DeKelaita has also been charged with three counts each of immigration fraud and suborning perjury; Benjamin has been charged with two counts each of immigration fraud and suborning perjury, the office said in a press release.

The federal indictment alleges that between 2000 and 2011, the men took money from clients in order to submit false information to Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and also coached clients on how to best present false information to asylum officers, the release says.

DeKelaita is accused of using false names, religions and family histories on USCIS forms and writing false asylum statements that detailed fictitious accounts of rape and murder, the release says.

Both men are accused of helping clients memorize false information of their asylum interviews, the release says.

People who are granted asylum can later seek permanent residence in the country and eventually seek to become naturalized citizens, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The Department of Homeland Security plans to review the immigration status of DeKelaita’s clients.