Diversity Visa Lottery Scams: Part II

How do I enter the Diversity Visa Lottery?

This is what you need to know:

• You can enter the Diversity Visa Lottery once a year. The Lottery is open for about a month in the fall.
• There is only one place to enter the Diversity Visa Lottery: dvlottery.state.gov. This State Department website has a form where you:
• answer questions
• give information about yourself, your spouse, and your children under 21
• submit digital photos of yourselves.
• It is free to enter the Diversity Visa Lottery.

You can enter once each year. If you enter the Diversity Visa Lottery more than once in a year, your entries will not count. Your spouse can enter separately if he or she qualifies.

If your entry is picked, you can include your spouse on your application, and children if they are single and under 21.

Rwandan National Connected to 1994 Genocide Sentenced for Immigration Fraud

A Rwandan woman was sentenced to 21 months in prison Thursday, October 11, 2012, for immigration fraud and other charges. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Department of State.

Prudence Kantengwa, aka Prudentienne, 47, of Boston, was sentenced Oct. 11 to nearly two years in prison for immigration fraud, perjury in immigration court and obstruction of justice. She was previously convicted in May 2012 of lying to enter the U.S. and again when seeking asylum status.

The case arose out of the 1994 conflict in Rwanda in which tensions between rival Tutsi and Hutu peoples burst into genocide in which as many as 900,000 Rwandans, most of Tutsi origin, perished. The charges against Kantengwa stemmed from lies she told about her membership in the Hutu-dominated party in Rwanda, her husband's role as the director of Rwanda's internal security service, and her knowledge of the existence of a genocidal roadblock. The roadblock was erected in front of the residence where she spent half the period of the genocide in the company of individuals subsequently convicted of genocide in the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Kantengwa was convicted of using a visa she fraudulently obtained to enter the United States. She obtained that visa by providing false information about her background on a questionnaire designed by the State Department to identify individuals involved in or associated with the genocidal government in Rwanda. Kantengwa was also convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with her testimony in immigration court in order to remain in the United States.

"No amount of prison time can adequately punish a person who had any role in the atrocities committed during the Rwandan genocide, but the surviving families can take solace in the fact that those responsible for this tragedy will be held accountable," said Special Agent in Charge Bruce Foucart of HSI Boston. "The United States will never be a place where individuals seeking to distance themselves from their pasts can hide."

"This case should send a strong message to all those who would seek to cheat the immigration system by lying about their background or otherwise deceiving U.S. immigration authorities," said U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. "The United States will not be a safe haven for those who lie or conceal their past in order to gain the privilege of living in this country."

"The Diplomatic Security Service is committed to making sure that those who commit visa and passport fraud face consequences for their criminal actions," said Special Agent in Charge Todd Ziccarelli of the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service's Boston office. "Diplomatic Security's strong relationship with the U.S. Attorney's Office and other law enforcement agencies around the world continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice."

ICE's Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center investigates human rights violators who try to evade justice by seeking shelter in the United States, including those who have participated in war crimes and acts of genocide, torture and extrajudicial killings. These individuals may use fraudulent identities to enter the country and attempt to blend into communities in the United States.

Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes are urged to call the toll-free HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or to complete its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. To learn more about the assistance available to victims in these cases, the public should contact ICE's confidential victim-witness toll-free number at 1-866-872-4973. Tips may be provided anonymously.

Since fiscal year 2004, ICE has arrested more than 225 individuals for human rights-related violations under various criminal and/or immigration statutes. During that same period, ICE obtained deportation orders and physically removed more than 540 known or suspected human rights violators from the United States. Currently, HSI has more than 140 active investigations and ICE is pursuing more than 1,900 leads and removal cases involving suspected human rights violators from nearly 95 different countries.

U.S. Attorney Ortiz, SAC Foucart and SAC Ziccarelli made the announcement today.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aloke S. Chakravarty, John Capin and Jeffrey Auerhahn of Ortiz's Anti-Terrorism and National Security Unit.

Connecticut Resident and Former Peace Corps Volunteer Sentenced for Abusing Minors in South Africa

Officials from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced the sentencing of a U.S. citizen for crimes he committed while he was a volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps. He was sentenced Oct. 10, 2012, in a U.S. court in the state of Connecticut.

Jesse Osmun, 33, was sentenced Wednesday, October 10, 2012 in Hartford, Conn., to 180 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for sexually abusing four minor girls, all under the age of 6, while he was a volunteer in South Africa.

"Thanks to the close collaboration of HSI's attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, a U.S. citizen has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes he committed here in South Africa," said Peter Vincent, director of HSI's Office of International Affairs. "As this sentence clearly demonstrates, there will be no refuge for U.S. citizens who believe that they may victimize children outside the United States. No place is too distant or too remote to escape the attention of law enforcement. Thanks to an extensive investigation we worked jointly with our South African counterparts, Jesse Osmun will now spend a considerable amount of time in a U.S. jail. Law enforcement will hunt down child predators to the ends of the earth to protect innocent children from being violated."

"This case has shown that both the United States and South Africa have no tolerance when it comes to the abuse of innocent children," said U.S. Embassy Pretoria Chargé d'Affairs Virginia E. Palmer. "Through close collaboration between U.S. and South African law enforcement officials we have been able to close this sad case and bring justice to this criminal. Our heart goes out to the young victims involved."

"I appreciate the well-coordinated efforts of the Department of Justice, Peace Corps Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations and the South African Police Service, to ensure that justice was served in this case," said Carrie Hessler-Radelet, acting director of the Peace Corps. "The Peace Corps has no tolerance for abuse of any kind, and our deepest sympathies are with all the victims involved."

According to court documents, Osmun was sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer in early 2010 and began his service at a non-governmental organization (NGO) in South Africa that provides education, food and other services to children, many of whom are orphans. In May 2011, Osmun resigned from the Peace Corps after being confronted by the program director of the NGO with allegations of sexual abuse. He returned to the United States June 2, 2011. Shortly thereafter, HSI special agents, working with members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI), began investigating the allegations of abuse.

The investigation revealed that, while volunteering at the NGO, Osmun enticed four young girls, all of whom were under the age of six, to engage in illicit sexual acts with him. Osmun persuaded the children to engage in this conduct by playing games with them and providing them with candy. Osmun sexually abused one of the victims approximately two times a week over the course of approximately five months.

On Aug. 4, 2011, Osmun was arrested at his home in Milford, Conn. On June 27, 2012, he pleaded guilty to one count of traveling from the United States to South Africa to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children.

Osmun has been detained since his arrest.

HSI targets, investigates and prosecutes sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. Since the creation of HSI and the passage of the PROTECT Act – a U.S. law – HSI has expanded the resources devoted to these types of investigations.

"PROTECT" is an acronym which stands for "Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today." Part of this U.S. law authorizes fines and imprisonment for U.S. citizens or residents who engage in illicit sexual conduct abroad.

In the nine years since the federal laws protecting children outside the United States from American sexual predators were significantly strengthened, HSI has arrested 93 suspects on child sex tourism charges.

Numerous agencies in the United States and South Africa participated in this extensive investigation. United States agencies included: HSI; Peace Corps, Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Department of State's regional security officer in Durban, South Africa.

In South Africa, the investigation was conducted and coordinated by the NPA and SAPS DPCI.

Business Owner Sentenced for Employing Illegal Aliens

A local man and his company were sentenced Thursday, September 13, 2012, in federal court to forfeitures and probation following their visa fraud guilty pleas. The sentences resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General.

Robert Brake, 33, of Byrnes Mill, Mo., along with his company, Brake Landscaping & Lawncare Inc., pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor charges of employing illegal aliens. Brake Landscaping & Lawncare Inc. is located in the 3500 block of Gratiot Street in St. Louis.

The company pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Brake and his company were sentenced to two years of probation. The company paid $145,000 in forfeitures.

The H-2B non-immigrant visa program permits employers to hire aliens to enter the United States to perform temporary, non-agricultural services on a one-time, seasonal, peak-load or intermittent basis. The number of H-2B visas available each fiscal year is limited and in high demand.

According to court documents, between March 2007 and February 2010, Robert Brake and his company illegally sub-contracted H-2B workers to an associate on a weekly basis at a profit of more than $2 per hour per alien. To facilitate illegally employing temporary H–2B visa workers throughout the year, Brake Landscaping employees were hired by another company owned by Robert Brake, Brake Snow and Ice Removal, which artificially created a need for temporary or seasonal workers that didn't actually exist.

Assisting in this investigation were the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Sponsoring an Employee for Permanent Resident Status: Part V

Key Information

Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker	I-140
Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant	I-360

USCIS

• On the Internet at: www.uscis.gov

For more copies of this guide, or information about other citizenship and immigration services, please visit our website. You can also download forms, e-file some applications, check the status of an application, and more. It’s a great place to start!

If you don’t have Internet access at home or work, try your local library. If you cannot find what you need, please call Customer Service.

•                      Customer Service: 1-800-375-5283 or

•                      Employment-based Visa Questions: 1-800-357-2099

•                      Hearing Impaired TDD Customer Service: 1-800-767-1833

Other U.S. Government Services
General Information	www.usagov.gov	1-800-333-4636
New Immigrants	www.welcometoUSA.gov
U.S. Dept. of State	www.state.gov	1-202-647-6575
	www.travel.state.gov/ visa
U.S. Dept of Labor	www.dol.gov	1-877-872-5627