Fake Immigration Lawyer In Chesco Created Fake Asylum Requests: Feds

OXFORD, PA — A Chester County woman has been arrested after authorities said she operated a fake immigrant law office for years, without a law degree or any required accreditation for the work, the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said.

Fatima DeMaria, 65, of Lincoln University, has been charged with eight counts of asylum fraud and eight counts of mail fraud.

From Dec. 2021 to July 2024, DeMaria prepared fraudulent asylum applications in the name of her clients, officials said.

She frequently stated her clients were seeking asylum based on desperate situations, such as "political opinion," "torture convention," and others, authorities said.

However, the clients had not asked for her to do that and none of the facts of their case supported claims to those categories, according to officials.

To complete the paperwork, DeMaria forged their signatures and helped them obtain work permits with the fake asylum applications, endangering their future citizenship opportunities, federal authorities said.

Clients were charged roughly $6,000 to $9,000 each, or $12,000 to $15,000 per couple, and she asked for payments in cash or in direct transactions. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of these funds were withdrawn at casinos, officials said.

If convicted, DeMaria faces up to 240 years behind bars and a $4 million fine.