WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- A California immigration consultant who was a frequent commentator for Iranian language radio and TV has been jailed for a massive visa fraud scheme.
Henry Hossein Haghighi Heguman was sentenced Thursday to two-and-a-half years in federal jail for running an immigration scheme that filed fake work visa applications on behalf of scores of foreigners seeking to come to the United States, the FBI said.
Haghighi's sentencing in Los Angeles federal court by U.S. District Judge Ronald Lew followed his guilty pleas last fall to conspiracy, two counts of immigration fraud and two counts of money laundering.
Haghighi and three others were arrested in November 2004. In his plea agreement, Haghighi admitted helping as many as 99 aliens obtain visas through the scheme, at between $6,000 and $24,000 each.
According to the FBI, Haghighi and his associates filed fraudulent work visa applications on behalf of more than 200 Southern California businesses ranging from medical clinics to auto parts stores -- some real and some not.
