Guilty Plea In School Immigration Fraud
Associated Press
June 4, 2009 6:34 PM ET
ATLANTA (AP) – A Korean-American man has admitted scheming to bring immigrants into the country under the guise of attending an English language school he operated.
Songwoo Shim of Lawrenceville pleaded guilty Thursday in Atlanta federal court to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S.
The 47-year-old Shim and 36-year-old In Young Park of Duluth were indicted in April.
Federal prosecutors say after Shim fraudulently obtained certification for Humana Language Learning Center in Duluth, he and others facilitated student visas to hundreds of foreign-born individuals who paid thousands of dollars in purported tuition, although most of them never attended classes.
Shim could receive up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced Aug. 10.
