Los Angeles men accused of running 'pay-to-stay' student visa scheme
Three Los Angeles-area men who prosecutors say ran a "pay-to-stay" scheme in which hundreds of foreign nationals paid to use their schools as cover for US student visas were arrested on Wednesday on a federal grand jury indictment.
According to the indictment the defendants, who operated four Southern California schools, are accused of taking in as much as $6 million in phony "tuition" payments from the foreign nationals and creating false student records and transcripts to fool immigration authorities.
Unannounced visits by federal agents to a language school owned and managed by defendant Hee Sun Shim, 51, found only three students there, prosecutors said. Only one student was found at his religion school.
"Immigration fraud schemes potentially compromise national security and cheat foreign nationals who play by the rules," Acting US Attorney Stephanie Yonekura said in a written statement released by her office.
