A Small Epidemic of Green Card Attorney Lawsuits

Immigration lawyers are respected professionals who help millions settle in new countries, serving as gatekeepers for those starting fresh in another nation.

They help navigate the world’s most complicated legal systems. Immigrants trust their lawyers, whether for family petitions, employment visas, or green card applications. Most immigration attorneys are ethical, but some face lawsuits and criminal charges that raise trust issues.

Regulatory bodies are enforcing the law. In the past decade, federal prosecutors and state bar associations have targeted immigration lawyers for misconduct, including signing fake petitions, forging signatures, and running immigration scams. These cases have resulted in legal actions and penalties, jeopardizing the lives and futures of thousands of immigrants.

This article will explore the most influential green card attorney lawsuits. It will cover the issues and lawsuits involved, along with lessons for immigrants and attorneys.

What Are the Consequences of Immigration Attorney Lawsuits

Errors on an immigration application can cause the case to take even a year to resolve. But when the attorney engages in deliberate misconduct, it can have much more serious consequences, such as:

• Denial of Green Card applications.
• Excessive absences from work.
• Findings of fraud by U.S. immigration authorities.
• Deportation proceedings
• Financial losses
• Permanent immigration consequences

Immigration issues can be life-changing and, unlike many other types of lawsuits one might face, do not have someone simply playing games. A fraudulent filing can cause families to become split up, careers to be interrupted, and even years of waiting to be lost.

Recent litigation explains how bad legal practices can be to individual clients and to the credibility of the immigration system.

Timeline of Major Green Card Attorney Lawsuits

In the last 10 years, there have been several major lawsuits that have affected public perception of illegal actions immigration attorneys engage in.

The 2014 Los Angeles Immigration Attorney Lawsuit

In 2014, the FBI indicted 2014: Los Angeles immigration attorney Justin Moongyu Lee for allegedly defrauding EB-5 immigrant investors.

Steve Qi 2018 Attorney Lawsuit

In 2018, the SEC obtained a judgment against EB-5 attorney Steve Qi for securities-related violations against immigrant investors.

The 2021 Elvis Reyes Fake Asylum Attorney Lawsuit

Elvis Harold Reyes was sentenced to over 20 years in prison for impersonating an immigration lawyer and making hundreds of fake asylum applications in 2021.

The 2022 10-year Green Card Scam Attorney Lawsuit

In 2022, a New York attorney was sentenced to jail for running a scam that he was able to get people to pay him for what prosecutors called a “10-year green card.

The 2023 Asylum Fraud Attorney Lawsuit

In 2023, attorneys Dzhamgarova and Arthur Arcadian were both convicted of being part of a conspiracy to participate in asylum fraud.

Bronx attorney Kofi Amankwaa pleads guilty to filing fraudulent petitions for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The 2025 Texas Green Card Attorney Lawsuit

In 2025, Amankwaa got a 70-month federal prison sentence, and federal prosecutors announced a big visa fraud indictment – employment-based green card schemes in Texas.

The 2026 Immigration Malpractice Attorney Lawsuit

In one of the largest immigration malpractice lawsuits ever, 2026: Alexandra Lozano and several affiliated entities are defendants.

All of these cases show commonalities in the immigration field in terms of fraud, malpractice, and abuse.

One of the biggest Immigration Malpractice Cases

The most commonly discussed immigration attorney case is that of Washington’s Alexandra Lozano.

Nine former clients sued Lozano and her law firms in May 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

The plaintiffs claimed that Lozano represented herself as a ‘miracle’ immigration attorney who could obtain legal status through humanitarian immigration programs like:

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

T Visas

U Visas

The complaint states that thousands of immigrants paid hefty legal fees in the firm’s belief that they had legitimate avenues to become permanent residents.

The Allegations made by Alexandra Lozano

The lawsuit alleges Lozano and her group were behind a “coordinated scheme” of several businesses.

Some of the most serious accusations are:

Filing Unauthorized Applications

Immigration petitions were filed without clients’ knowledge and/or informed consent.

False Claims

Some applications included false domestic violence, abuse, and/or human trafficking narratives to get applicants to qualify for humanitarian immigration programs, the complaint states.

Signature Fraud

Plaintiffs allege they received blank documents to sign or that their electronic signatures were misused on immigration forms.

A client’s green card application was denied for missing or improperly signed signatures.

Excessive Fees

Many clients reportedly spent thousands on an immigration service that resulted in removal proceedings rather than successful immigration or application denial.

The practices caused clients to suffer monetary harm, but also put their immigration status at risk, according to the lawsuit.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

A key factor in the case is the federal RICO statute

According to Plaintiffs, Lozano’s firms and affiliated businesses were an enterprise engaged in a pattern of fraudulent conduct, such as mail fraud, wire fraud, immigration fraud, and financial misconduct.

The successful plaintiffs may be able to recover three times their damages, which is one of the advantages of RICO.

Legal Malpractice

In addition to the breach-of-contract claim, the claim is for professional negligence.

Plaintiffs allege Lozano didn’t live up to the standard of care expected of immigration attorneys by:

• Applying for applicants who are not eligible
• Failure to use proper filing procedure
• Not addressing the issue of immigration risks
• Submitting defective petitions
• Fraud and Misrepresentation

Other serious accusations include fraudulent marketing.

Other Significant Immigration Attorney Cases

The Lozano lawsuit is not an isolated incident.

Several other lawyers have been charged with illegal acts in relation to immigration. Readers comparing how legal disputes involving public authorities are reported can also review the Pima County Sheriff Lawsuit for additional lawsuit coverage and legal context.

Kofi Amankwaa

Bronx attorney Kofi Amankwaa, who was indicted for being part of a long-running scheme with fraudulent VAWA petitions, confessed to his guilt.

Falsely reporting abuse by relatives to receive immigration benefits, federal prosecutors said he told clients to do that.

He is collecting thousands of dollars per client and filing petitions with no valid legal basis.

He was found guilty, sentenced to 70 months in federal prison, and ordered to forfeit millions of dollars.

Carlos Moreno

Prosecutors say New York attorney Carlos Moreno ran a “10-year green card” racket. He misguided immigrants into believing that if they reside in the United States for 10 years, it makes them eligible for permanent residency.

Rather, he submitted frivolous asylum claims to the courts in secret, thus placing his clients in deportation proceedings. After a while, Moreno pleaded guilty to fraud and was imprisoned.

Elvis Harold Reyes

Reyes wasn’t a lawyer, but he’s one of many victims of another type of immigration scam. As a seemingly reputable immigration attorney, Reyes filed hundreds of bogus asylum applications and charged the immigrants big bucks for the service. Federal prosecutors got a 20-plus-year prison term.

EB-5 Investment Fraud

Legal actions have also emerged as a result of the EB-5 immigrant investor program. Attorney Justin Moongyu Lee was found guilty of criminal charges for allegedly taking millions of dollars from overseas investors for the purpose of obtaining green cards, but using the money for other unapproved uses.

In parallel, attorney Steve Qi was subject to SEC enforcement for allegedly violating securities laws in investment offerings.

Conclusion

In recent years, the entire field of green card attorneys has had numerous lawsuits. And this is just a small sample of the many responsibilities that lawyers hold.

Many immigration lawyers act ethically, but these cases emphasize the need for transparency, accountability, and informed decision-making. There are no valid short-cuts to getting a green card for immigrants seeking to be granted lawful permanent residence. 

For another example of lawsuit-focused consumer and business coverage, see the Isotonix Lawsuit, which discusses a separate legal dispute. One of the most important ways to preserve rights and the future is to hire a competent, reliable attorney and to be involved in the entire legal process.