A Chester County woman has been charged in a superseding indictment with multiple counts related to an alleged long-running immigration fraud scheme and tax evasion. Fatima DeMaria, 65, of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, was the owner and operator of Immigration Matters Legal Services in Oxford, Pennsylvania.
United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that DeMaria faces eight counts of asylum fraud, eight counts of mail fraud, and four counts of tax evasion. The indictment claims that DeMaria misrepresented herself as an immigration attorney capable of assisting undocumented individuals with obtaining employment authorization or work permits. According to authorities, she was not a licensed attorney nor authorized by the Executive Office for Immigration Review to represent clients in immigration proceedings.
From at least December 2021 to July 2024, DeMaria is accused of preparing fraudulent Form I-589 asylum applications for her clients without their knowledge or consent. The indictment states she made false statements on these forms by claiming applicants were seeking asylum based on political opinion or under the Torture Convention. Prosecutors allege her clients never sought asylum under those categories and did not provide information that would make them eligible.
DeMaria also allegedly placed her clients’ signatures on the applications without their consent, certifying under penalty of perjury that all information provided was accurate. The indictment further asserts that she did not inform clients about how filing frivolous asylum applications could result in their placement in removal proceedings or jeopardize future immigration benefits if rejected by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
According to prosecutors, DeMaria charged between $6,000-$9,000 per individual and $12,000-$15,000 per couple for these services. She often accepted payments in cash or through peer-to-peer transactions deposited into personal bank accounts. Authorities say hundreds of thousands of dollars from these funds were withdrawn at casinos.
The superseding indictment also accuses DeMaria of attempting to evade income taxes due from 2021 through 2024 by failing to report substantial business income from Immigration Matters Legal Services on IRS filings and structuring cash deposits into personal and business accounts to conceal true income amounts.
If convicted on all charges, DeMaria could face up to 260 years in prison and a $5 million fine. The government is seeking forfeiture of at least $1 million believed to be obtained through the alleged offenses.
"This case is being investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation," according to federal authorities. "USCIS, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service provided assistance." Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Solow and Eileen Castilla Geiger are prosecuting the case.
"The charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations," officials stated. "Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court."
