Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com.
Date: 02-24-2022
Case Style:
Case Number: 3:22-mj-03006-TJB
Judge: Tonianne J. Bongiovanni
Court: United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (Mercer County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Trenton, New Jersey criminal defense attorney represented defendant charged with visa fraud.
Steven G. Thomas, 52, of New Hope, Pennsylvania, is charged by complaint with preparing and filing false visa applications on behalf of clients. He is scheduled to appear later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Thomas, who operates a law firm in Montgomery Township, New Jersey, encouraged clients to apply for asylum under fraudulent pretenses. He advised clients regarding the manner in which they were most likely to obtain asylum, knowing that these clients did not legitimately qualify for asylum. Thomas also prepared, or caused to be prepared on behalf of those clients, fraudulent applications and affidavits, which were submitted to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
A confidential informant working for law enforcement met with Thomas in January of 2020. Thomas filed on that person’s behalf a visa application containing numerous false statements in April 2020.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina; and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Fraud Detection and National Security Unit in the Newark Asylum office, under the direction of Newark Asylum Director Susan Raufer, with the investigation leading to the arrest.
The government is represented by Senior Civil Rights Counsel Joseph Gribko of the Criminal Division in Newark.
18 U.S.C. §1546. Fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents
(a) Whoever knowingly forges, counterfeits, alters, or falsely makes any immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, permit, border crossing card, alien registration receipt card, or other document prescribed by statute or regulation for entry into or as evidence of authorized stay or employment in the United States, or utters, uses, attempts to use, possesses, obtains, accepts, or receives any such visa, permit, border crossing card, alien registration receipt card, or other document prescribed by statute or regulation for entry into or as evidence of authorized stay or employment in the United States, knowing it to be forged, counterfeited, altered, or falsely made, or to have been procured by means of any false claim or statement, or to have been otherwise procured by fraud or unlawfully obtained; or
Whoever, except under direction of the Attorney General or the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or other proper officer, knowingly possesses any blank permit, or engraves, sells, brings into the United States, or has in his control or possession any plate in the likeness of a plate designed for the printing of permits, or makes any print, photograph, or impression in the likeness of any immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, permit or other document required for entry into the United States, or has in his possession a distinctive paper which has been adopted by the Attorney General or the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service for the printing of such visas, permits, or documents; or
Whoever, when applying for an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, permit, or other document required for entry into the United States, or for admission to the United States personates another, or falsely appears in the name of a deceased individual, or evades or attempts to evade the immigration laws by appearing under an assumed or fictitious name without disclosing his true identity, or sells or otherwise disposes of, or offers to sell or otherwise dispose of, or utters, such visa, permit, or other document, to any person not authorized by law to receive such document; or
Whoever knowingly makes under oath, or as permitted under penalty of perjury under section 1746 of title 28, United States Code, knowingly subscribes as true, any false statement with respect to a material fact in any application, affidavit, or other document required by the immigration laws or regulations prescribed thereunder, or knowingly presents any such application, affidavit, or other document which contains any such false statement or which fails to contain any reasonable basis in law or fact—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 25 years (if the offense was committed to facilitate an act of international terrorism (as defined in section 2331 of this title)), 20 years (if the offense was committed to facilitate a drug trafficking crime (as defined in section 929(a) of this title)), 10 years (in the case of the first or second such offense, if the offense was not committed to facilitate such an act of international terrorism or a drug trafficking crime), or 15 years (in the case of any other offense), or both.
(b) Whoever uses—
(1) an identification document, knowing (or having reason to know) that the document was not issued lawfully for the use of the possessor,
(2) an identification document knowing (or having reason to know) that the document is false, or
(3) a false attestation,
for the purpose of satisfying a requirement of section 274A(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
(c) This section does not prohibit any lawfully authorized investigative, protective, or intelligence activity of a law enforcement agency of the United States, a State, or a subdivision of a State, or of an intelligence agency of the United States, or any activity authorized under title V of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 (18 U.S.C. note prec. 3481).1 For purposes of this section, the term "State" means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
Outcome: 02/23/2022 Arrest of STEVEN G. THOMAS (mm) (Entered: 02/23/2022)
02/23/2022 4 ORDER APPOINTING FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER as to STEVEN G. THOMAS BRIAN PATRICK REILLY for STEVEN G. THOMAS appointed for today's purposes only. Signed by Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni on 2/23/2022. (mm) (Entered: 02/23/2022)
02/23/2022 5 Minute Entry for proceedings held before Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni: Initial Appearance as to STEVEN G. THOMAS held on 2/23/2022. Ordered Brian Reilly, AFPD appointed as counsel for todays purposes only. Ordered bail set at $500,000 unsecured bond. Order Setting Conditions of Release to be entered. Preliminary Hearing set for 3/10/2022 12:00 PM before Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni. (mm) (Entered: 02/23/2022)
02/23/2022 6 ORDER Setting Conditions of Release as to STEVEN G. THOMAS (1) $500,000 unsecured bond. (Finance notified) Signed by Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni on 2/23/2022. (mm) (Entered: 02/23/2022)
02/23/2022 7 Non-Surety Bond Entered as to STEVEN G. THOMAS in amount of $500,000. (mm) (Entered: 02/23/2022)
02/23/2022 8 Order regarding use of video conferencing as to STEVEN G. THOMAS. Signed by Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni on 2/23/2022. (mm) (Entered: 02/23/2022)
02/23/2022 9 Brady Order as to STEVEN G. THOMAS. Signed by Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni on 2/23/2022. (mm) (Entered: 02/23/2022)
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: