PHILADELPHIA, PA — A former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to bribery-related charges after admitting he accepted money in exchange for promises to influence immigration cases, federal prosecutors said.
Amara Dukuly, 44, of Woodlyn, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge John M. Younge to aiding and abetting the bribery of a public official in exchange for an official act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Dukuly used his position as a USCIS employee from approximately 2015 through his arrest in June 2025 to solicit bribes from individuals seeking help with their immigration status.
On April 4, 2025, Dukuly accepted a $6,000 payment from an individual in exchange for promising to remove references to “terrorist” activity from the person’s immigration file, according to court filings.
Authorities said Dukuly told the individual the file would be “clean” after the changes were made.
Dukuly is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, July 14, and faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anita Eve and Robert Livermore.
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