PHILADELPHIA, PA — Federal prosecutors have charged a Chester County woman in what authorities allege was a years-long scheme that exploited undocumented immigrants through fraudulent asylum filings, mail fraud, and tax evasion, according to a superseding indictment announced by United States Attorney David Metcalf.
The indictment charges Fatima DeMaria, 65, of Lincoln University, with eight counts of asylum fraud, eight counts of mail fraud, and four counts of tax evasion. Prosecutors allege DeMaria owned and operated Immigration Matters Legal Services in Oxford, where she falsely represented herself as an immigration attorney capable of securing employment authorization, commonly referred to as work permits, for undocumented clients.
According to the superseding indictment, DeMaria was not a licensed attorney and was not accredited or authorized by the Executive Office for Immigration Review to represent individuals in immigration proceedings. Despite this, prosecutors allege that from at least December 2021 through July 2024, she prepared and caused to be prepared fraudulent Form I-589 asylum applications in her clients’ names without their knowledge or consent.
Federal authorities allege the applications falsely claimed that clients were seeking asylum or withholding of removal based on political opinion or protection under the Convention Against Torture. Prosecutors contend the clients were not eligible under those categories and never provided information that would support such claims.
The indictment further alleges that DeMaria caused clients’ signatures to be placed on the asylum applications, certifying under penalty of perjury that the information was true and correct, again without the clients’ knowledge or authorization. Prosecutors also allege clients were not informed that filing asylum applications was the mechanism being used to pursue work authorization, nor were they advised that rejected or referred applications could place them into removal proceedings and jeopardize future immigration benefits.
According to the indictment, DeMaria allegedly charged approximately $6,000 to $9,000 per individual and $12,000 to $15,000 per couple for her services. Prosecutors allege payments were frequently made in cash or through peer-to-peer transactions that were deposited into DeMaria’s personal bank accounts, with hundreds of thousands of dollars later withdrawn at casinos.
In addition to the fraud charges, the superseding indictment alleges DeMaria willfully attempted to evade federal income taxes for calendar years 2021 through 2024. Prosecutors allege she failed to report substantial business income, deposited business proceeds into personal accounts, and structured cash deposits to conceal the true amount and frequency of income.
If convicted, DeMaria faces a maximum possible sentence of 260 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $5 million. The government is also seeking forfeiture of alleged proceeds totaling at least $1 million.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation, with assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Solow and Eileen Castilla Geiger.
All charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are accusations only. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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