Thread: Woman Sentenced for Leadership Role in Visa Fraud, Identity Theft, and Human Smugglin

Woman Sentenced for Leadership Role in Visa Fraud, Identity Theft, and Human Smuggling Scheme


Tuesday, January 30, 2024


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For Immediate Release


Office of Public Affairs



A New York woman was sentenced today to two years and one month in prison for her role in a multi-year visa fraud, identity theft, and immigrant smuggling conspiracy that brought Armenian citizens into the United States for profit.

According to court documents, Stella Boyadjian, 53, of Rego Park, led a transnational network of co-conspirators who engaged in a widespread visa fraud scheme to bring Armenian citizens into the United States by fraudulently claiming to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that the Armenians were members of performance groups, and thus qualified for P-3 “Culturally Unique Artist” visas.

The P-3 nonimmigrant visa classification allows foreign nationals to temporarily travel to the United States to perform, teach, or coach as artists or entertainers, under a program that is culturally unique.

A U.S. employer or sponsoring organization is required to submit a USCIS Form I-129 Petition for a Non-Immigrant Worker, along with supporting documentation, attesting that the performances in the United States are culturally unique.

Boyadjian ran a non-profit organization called Big Apple Music Awards (BAMA) Foundation based in Rego Park.

She used the BAMA Foundation as well as formal and informal music industry contacts in the United States and Armenia to perpetuate the scheme.

Boyadjian and others solicited Armenian citizens who wanted to come to the United States and charged them between $3,000 and $15,000 for P-3 visas facilitated by Boyadjian and others submitting fraudulent Form I-129 Petitions to the USCIS.

To accomplish this, Boyadjian and other associates in Armenia acquired fraudulent performer certificates and organized staged photo sessions where the aliens wore traditional Armenian folk outfits to appear to be traditional Armenian performers.

After being trained by Boyadjian and her conspirators on how to answer questions from USCIS visa adjudicators, the individual aliens presented these certificates and photos to U.S. consular officers during their visa interviews.

Once the Armenians entered the United States, some would pay Boyadjian and her associates additional money to be included in another fraudulent petition asking for P-3 visa extensions.

Some aliens overstayed their visas and remain unlawfully in the United States.

Boyadjian previously pleaded guilty in March 2019 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, commit visa fraud, and unlawfully bring aliens to the United States, one count of visa fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, and Director of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Carlos F. Matus made the announcement.

The DSS’ Criminal Fraud Investigations and Overseas Criminal Investigations Divisions investigated the case, with assistance from the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security, Center Fraud Detection Operations in Vermont.

Deputy Chief Rami S. Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John O. Enright for the Eastern District of New York prosecuted the case.


https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/woman...uggling-scheme

How many thousands of visa overstays are in this country!

We need a task force to round them up and ship them out of here. They can never come back!