South Windsor Couple Charged with Defrauding Immigrant Clients, USCIS

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment yesterday charging BABAR KHAN, 41, and KHATIJA KHAN, 38, both of South Windsor, with offenses related to scheme through which individuals seeking immigration services were defrauded.

The Khans were arrested today.  They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson and were released on $50,000 bonds.

As alleged in the indictment, Babar and Khatija Khan, who are married, operated JLLAS CORP. and EIMAAN LLC, which were created to provide services to clients involved in proceedings with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”).  Between approximately May 2015 and January 2018, the Khans recruited clients who sought some form of immigration status, relief or benefit.  Many of these clients are aliens residing in the U.S. without legal status and had limited education, a limited ability to understand English, and little to no knowledge of the documents that the Khans were filing with USCIS on their behalf. 

The indictment alleges that Khatija Khan represented herself as an attorney with a background in immigration matters, even though she was not an attorney.  The Khans prepared petitions and applications for their clients that contained information that they knew to be false.  They also fabricated false documents to support their clients’ applications with USCIS without their clients’ knowledge.  They then mailed, or caused to be mailed, these fraudulent applications and documents to USCIS, where they were received and made part of the official Alien file of each respective client.

It is alleged that many of the Khans’ clients received no relief from USCIS despite paying the Khans significant amounts of money.

The indictment charges Babar Kahn with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, two counts of mail fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.  Khatija Khan is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of mail fraud.  The conspiracy and fraud charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and the tax charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 

This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.

Individuals who believe they have been victimized by this scheme contact Ines Cenatiempo, Victim-Witness Coordinator of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, at Ines.Cenatiempo@usdoj.gov or by phone at 203-821-3757.