PHILADELPHIA, PA — Federal prosecutors have charged a Chester County woman in what authorities allege was a years-long scheme that exploited undocumented immigrants through fraudulent asylum filings, mail fraud, and tax evasion, according to a superseding indictment announced by United States Attorney David Metcalf.
The indictment charges Fatima DeMaria, 65, of Lincoln University, with eight counts of asylum fraud, eight counts of mail fraud, and four counts of tax evasion. Prosecutors allege DeMaria owned and operated Immigration Matters Legal Services in Oxford, where she falsely represented herself as an immigration attorney capable of securing employment authorization, commonly referred to as work permits, for undocumented clients.
According to the superseding indictment, DeMaria was not a licensed attorney and was not accredited or authorized by the Executive Office for Immigration Review to represent individuals in immigration proceedings. Despite this, prosecutors allege that from at least December 2021 through July 2024, she prepared and caused to be prepared fraudulent Form I-589 asylum applications in her clients’ names without their knowledge or consent…