Huntingdon Valley Lawyer Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison

Huntingdon Valley lawyer Michael Choi was sentenced to 30 months in prison for .

Choi, 55, who ran his practice out of Elkins Park, fraudulently obtained green cards for his clients so that they could stay in the United States. He was found guilty for conspiring to violate federal immigration laws, five counts of making false statements to the government, and two counts of filing false tax returns, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The tax return charges are from 2005-06 for failing to report income from Choi and Associates, P.C.

Choi must also pay back $161,538.52 in restitution to the IRS along with a special assessment of $700 for failing to report income from his law firm.

According to reports, Choi sold the green cards to at least eight clients illegally, and charged anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000 per green card. The U.S Attorney’s Office believes the scam was carried out between 2001-2008.

On the official web site, Choi and Associates, P.C. lists the company’s different practices: Personal Injury, Immigration, General Litigation, Real Estate and Family Law, Medical Malpractice and Criminal Defense. All of the pages are up to date, except the Immigration tab, which now reads, “coming soon.”