Chesco Woman Pretended To Be Immigration Attorney, Defrauded Numerous Victims: Feds

OXFORD, PA — A Chester County woman claiming to be an immigration attorney stole at least $1 million from numerous undocumented individuals who she said she was going to help get work permits, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Fatima DeMaria, 65, of Lincoln University, has been charged with asylum fraud, mail fraud, and tax evasion.

The fraud occurred from Dec. 2021 to July 2024.

DeMaria ran an Oxford-based company called Immigration Matters Legal Services. But DeMaria was not a licensed attorney, nor was she authorized to represent anyone in an immigration proceeding, federal authorities said.

Once she had the basic information of her clients, DeMaria prepared fake asylum applications in their names, without their knowledge or consent, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. She invented wild backstories for individuals, claiming they needed asylum due to "political opinion" or "Torture Convention," authorities said.

Once asylum applications are rejected, it can lead to deportation proceedings or jeopardize future employee opportunities, meaning DeMaria caused significant harm to some of her "clients," officials said.

She charged her victims anywhere from $6,000 to $9,000 per individual and $12,000 to $15,000 per couple, taking massive amounts of funds into her personal bank accounts and later withdrawing them casinos, according to authorities.

DeMaria further failed to report much of her business income for 2021 through 2024, concealing her true income and avoiding paying her taxes, the U.S. Attorney's Office added.

If convicted on all counts, she faces up to 260 years behind bars and a $5 million fine.

A preliminary hearing is forthcoming.