Former and Current Immigration Agents Indicted in Fraud Case

One current and one former federal immigration agents surrendered to authorities today in response to an indictment accusing them and two other federal agents of taking part in a scheme that allegedly involved bribes paid by a Los Angeles attorney to secure residency and other benefits for his immigrant clients.

Former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Officer Paul Lovingood, 71, of Newhall, and 46-year-old Ventura resident James Dominguez, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, were expected to appear in court in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon.

They were among five people named Tuesday in a federal indictment that outlines a bribery scheme allegedly orchestrated by attorney Kwang Man "John'' Lee, who is accused of bribing federal officials to secure permanent residency status for clients who paid fees ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than $50,000.

Lee -- a 47-year-old former Immigration and Naturalization Service officer -- was not named in Tuesday's indictment, but was charged previously and is free on bond while awaiting arraignment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In addition to Lovingood and Dominguez, those named in Tuesday's indictment were:

-- USCIS Supervisory Officer Jesus Figueroa, 66, of Tujunga;

-- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Michael Anders, 53, of Torrance; and

-- Mirei Hofmann, 38, of Los Angeles, a Japan native who allegedly paid Lee tens of thousands of dollars to obtain a permanent resident card.

Figueroa and Hofmann were named in another indictment last month, while Anders and Lee were charged about a month ago, prosecutors said. All four were previously arrested and released on bond.

The indictment alleges seven counts of bribery, two counts of making false statements, three counts of misuse of government seals and three counts of false stamps, according to prosecutors. Hofmann is also charged with a count
of immigration fraud.

Among other accusations, the indictment alleges that Figueroa, Dominguez and Lovingood doctored the immigration files of Lee's clients, and Lee gave them cash and gifts -- including three Thailand vacations for Dominguez, computers and television sets for Lovingood and thousands of dollars in cash for Figueroa, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"The investigation has revealed that Lee is the middleman in a corruption ring that solicits bribes from aliens in exchange for immigration benefits, ranging from fraudulent admission stamps to citizenship,'' according to a court affidavit.

"Lee appears to be the point-of-contact between government officials, whom Lee pays to procure these immigration benefits, and known and unknown co-conspirators, who refer aliens to Lee.

"The investigation has also revealed the Lee uses his position as a licensed attorney to facilitate the bribery conspiracy by, among other things, assisting alien bribe payors in submitting false and fraudulent immigration petitions to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.''

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