This week Samuel Kooritzky was convicted on 57 counts in a federal indictment accusing him of running a massive immigration fraud scheme. Officials accused Kooritzky of filing thousands of applications for labor certifications, forging employer signatures and providing other false information. He submitted hundreds of applications for restaurants in the Washington, DC, area, restaurants that say they have never heard of him. Despite single restaurants filing hundreds of applications, the scheme was not notice until a letter regarding one of the applications was sent directly to one of them, and the manager contacted the Department of Labor.
Kooritzky had pled not guilty, claiming that responsibility for the fraud rested with Richard Bogardus, a former State Department contract employee who pled guilty earlier this year and was the primary witness against Kooritzky.
Immigrant hopefuls paid Kooritzky between $8,000 and $20,000 for the process, which leads to a green card. None of them ever received permission to reside in the US permanently. None of the immigrants knew the applications filed for them were fraudulent.
The conviction followed five hours of jury deliberation at the conclusion of a weeklong trial. At sentencing, Kooritzky faces up to 10 years in prison and could be required to forfeit $2.5 million in profits.
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