FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTAUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885

MAY 23, 2007

PROVIDERS OF IMMIGRATION SERVICES INDICTED IN GREEN CARD SCHEME

Forfeiture Sought of $1 Million in Fees

Greenbelt, Maryland - A federal grand jury has charged Tricia Yoo Matuszak, age 35, of Los Angeles, California, Min Jae Song, also known as Mindy Song, age 43, of Los Angeles, California and Yong-Mi Chang, age 34, of Seoul, South Korea for conspiring to submit false labor certifications and immigration petitions on behalf of aliens applying for visas to enter the United States, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. The indictment was returned sealed on March 26, 2007.

Min Jae Song had her initial appearance yesterday and was ordered detained. Tricia Matuszak had an initial appearance and arraignment on May 7, 2007 and was released under the supervision of U.S. Pre-Trial Services. Yong-Mi Chang is a fugitive.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said, "The indictment alleges that the defendants earned $1 million from illegal aliens in return for submitting false documents to the Department of Homeland Security."

According to the 13-count indictment, the defendants were employed by Overseas Employment Information Service, Inc. (OEIS), a company that provided immigration-related services primarily to the Korean and Chinese communities in the United States, the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China. OEIS had offices in Silver Spring, Maryland, and beginning in November 2001, in Los Angeles, California. In October 2001 OEIS registered to operate under the trade name EBI, Inc.

The indictment alleges that between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2003 the defendants submitted fraudulent immigration documents to assist aliens in getting “green cards” through an employment-based visa program. The program permits an employer to sponsor an alien for employment in the United States if the employer has been unable to find qualified U.S. workers to fill the position. Specifically, the indictment alleges that the defendants filed false forms bearing the names and identifying information of former clients without their consent, many of whom had already attained the status of lawful permanent residents and in some cases citizenship. The defendants would then substitute another alien for the original beneficiary of the labor certification by re-submitting the paperwork with the new alien’s name and information. The indictment alleges that the defendants charged the substitute beneficiaries fees ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 for these services. The indictment seeks forfeiture of $1 million, believed to be the proceeds of the scheme, as well as property in Silver Spring and Bethesda, Maryland.

The defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy and 10 years in prison on each of the 12 counts of labor certification fraud.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised U.S. Citizenship and Immigration’s Fraud Detection and National Security Office and Domestic Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chan Park and David Salem, who are prosecuting the case.