Author: Behrouz Behrouz

Mohammad Reza Baniassadi, who owned and operated The Law Offices of Reza Baniassadi with offices in Chicago, was indicted for engaging in a conspiracy from 2013 to 2020. The indictment, recently revealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges that Baniassadi, along with two of his firm's employees and others, knowingly provided false and fraudulent information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on behalf of foreign national clients seeking U.S. immigration benefits. Baniassadi is accused of advising his clients to enter into fraudulent marriages with U.S. citizens or lawful permanent U.S. residents to gain immigration benefits. The indictment also outlines various other schemes, including helping clients cheat on oral civics exams, fabricating claims of spousal abuse, and creating fake job offers from U.S. companies to sponsor clients for residency. The charges against Baniassadi, who is currently a fugitive, include one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and five individual counts of falsifying applications for immigration benefits. A warrant for his arrest has been issued. The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey B. Rubenstein is representing the government in this case. It's important to note that an indictment only contains charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and has the right to a fair trial, during which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Violating each count of visa fraud is punishable by a maximum of ten years in federal prison, while the conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of five years.