Department of Justice Press Release

For Immediate Release
August 31, 2009 United States Attorney's Office
Northern District of Georgia
Contact: (478) 752-3511

Head of English Language School Sentenced to Federal Prison for Immigration Fraud Conspiracy

Songwoo Shim Obtained Fraudulent Certification for School and Used School as Front to Issue Fraudulent Immigration Documents to Illegal Aliens

ATLANTA, GA—SONGWOO SHIM, 48, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr. to serve three years, 10 months in federal prison for conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to reside unlawfully in the United States and for manufacturing fraudulent visa documents.

Acting United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “This defendant obtained approval from the Department of Homeland Security to operate an English language school by submitting a fraudulent application. He then used the school as a front for manufacturing and selling fraudulent immigration documents to hundreds of unlawful aliens who were not entitled to remain in the United States. The sentence handed down today is appropriate for his fraudulent scheme to circumvent the immigration laws of the United States.â€