A Bronx attorney and his son have been charged in a large-scale multimillion dollar immigration scheme that targeted thousands of immigrants, defrauding some and causing some to be deported.  

It’s not confirmed how many were deported, but law enforcement officials say the scheme went on for around seven years before the father-son duo was charged.  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office state in a complaint that Kofi Amankwaa and his son are charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count to commit immigration fraud.  

Amankwaa practiced immigrated law out of his firm on the Grand Concourse.  

Prosecutors say the pair allegedly filed false applications under the Violence Against Women Act that claimed their clients faced abuse from their children. That act helps to speed up the green card process for domestic violence victims – something Amankwaa and his son may have taken advantage of.  

According to the complaint, 3,995 of those applications were filed by Amankwaa from 2106 to 2023, charging those people $6,000 plus administrative fees for the process.  

Brendan Davis, an attorney representing a handful of the victims targeted by this father and son, says many of his clients are holding out hope to pursue the American Dream they feel they still deserve a chance at.  

“It became this hidden operation from these individuals that would only find out about the true extent of these fraudulent applications at immigration interviews with officers, or they would find out at the boarder when they were returning from travel,” said Davis. “That abuse was unfounded, and for many clients that we met with, they were not aware of these fraudulent applications and what was submitted on their behalf until we met with them.” 

Amankwaa’s license to practice law has been suspended.