Grand Jury Indicts Man in Connection With Immigration Fraud Scheme Uncovered by ICE

A federal grand jury has indicted a Rhode Island man in connection with an immigration fraud scheme uncovered by federal investigators.

Officials with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau and Citizenship and Immigration Services found that Nimon Naphaeng, 34, a native of Thailand living in Rhode Island, applied for asylum applications on behalf of 300 people without their consent.  Naphaeng allegedly told the applicants that he was securing them employment authorization documents, and then used the personal information they provided to file asylum claims.

The scheme caught officials’ attention because asylum applications are reserved for people who face “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,” if they return to their native country, according to a statement from ICE. Thai nationals typically file fewer than 20 such applications nationwide each year, ICE said, making the spike in claims from Naphaeng stick out. Investigators also noticed many of the claims had the same address and the same information and supporting documents.

The grand jury indicted Naphaeng Tuesday on 26 counts including visa fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and international money laundering. The government is also trying to collect $279,550 seized from Naphaeng, the amount he allegedly made in the scheme.

He was arrested in December, and is in federal custody, according to ICE. Naphaeng is now entitled to a trial to determine whether he is guilty of the charges. 

(Image via Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock.com)