US couple admit falsifying asylum applications for clients from Sri Lanka

A couple in Mercer County in the US admitted Monday that they submitted falsified applications for asylum on behalf of clients from Sri Lanka.

Zuwairul Ameer, aka ?Zuwairul Thowfeek,? 61, and Claudette Ameer, aka ?Claudette Pieries,? 63, who operated an immigration business out of their Lawrence home, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney?s Office District of New Jersey.

The couple, who ran the operation since at least 2007, either exaggerated stories of asylum-seekers or failed to sign immigrations forms they prepared for clients, which is against the law, the office said.

Claudette managed the business, acting as the primary point of contact for clients, arranging meetings, and mailing completed applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, investigators said. Zuwairul would meet with clients, listen to their stories of mistreatment in their countries of origin, and draft applications on their behalf.
The couple charged at least $1,000 per application, according to court papers.

The criminal complaint against Zuwairul said he met in May 2020 with a person who?d recently arrived in the country from Sri Lanka who thought he was meeting with an immigration attorney.

The person told Zuwairul a true story of being mistreated in Sri Lanka, but when Ameer completed the application, he made up details which included that the person had been sexually abused by police, federal prosecutors said. When the applicant resisted and told him they wanted the false information removed, Zuwairul told them that they would not be granted asylum if those details were not present.

He eventually told the client he would remove the falsities but did not and sent the application to the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service and did not sign it, as required by law, authorities said.

In November 2020, federal investigators approached the immigrant about the application and the person agreed to work with them and then contacted Zuwairul and asked for advice about the upcoming interview with the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service, the office said. Agents recorded three calls between the two in which Zuwairul told the person he left in the fraudulent details and that the person had no viable asylum claim without them.

An indictment charging the couple listed five applications from 2007 to January 2022 in which they grossly inflated alleged persecution via physical or sexual violence, and three in which they did not record their involvement in applications.
The Ameers also tried to keep their involvement in the fraudulent applications a secret, and in one instance, Claudette told a client to delete all their communications with the business, officials said.

The pair was arrested in March 2023.

They now face a maximum of five yeas in prison and a $250,000 fine when they are sentenced on Feb. 25, 2025, federal prosecutors said. (Courtesy NJ.com)