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Leader of a Philadelphia area asylum fraud conspiracy sentenced

PHILADELPHIA - David Lynn, 35, of Holland, Penn., was sentenced 40 months in prison and ordered to forfeiture $1.7 million in cash and assets on June 10 for leading an asylum fraud scheme that netted him and five co-defendants millions of dollars in illegal profits. The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Lynn pleaded guilty in October 2008, to one count of conspiracy, one count of visa/asylum fraud, one count of money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Lynn, who was charged with five co-defendants, ran a business that filed at least 380 bogus asylum applications for clients, between January 2003 and March 2007, charging an average of $8,000 for an application.

ICE investigated this case with the U. S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General's Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud, the FBI, the Office of Inspector General for Housing and Urban Development; with support from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, Department of State Diplomatic Security Services, the Northampton Township Police Department, and the Upper Southampton Township police. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terri A. Marinari.