By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE, August 24 – Igor Reznik, Ilona Dzhamgarova and Arthur Arcadian were charged with immigration fraud, using a Brooklyn law firm to fraudulently seek asylum for clients primarily from Russia and the CIS.
On September 14, 2021 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil held a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.
A complaint was made that the asylum applications are difficult to compile, as USCIS keeps them only in hard copy, spread out all over the country.
Judge Vyskocil said she would be seeking a trial date in the second quarter of 2022.
Jump cut to August 24, 2022 when Igor Reznik appeared before Judge Vyskocil, to change his plea to guilty to Count 1.
First, the Russian interpreter spoke up to say it turned out he wasn't needed. His voucher had been for the absent co-defendant Mr. Arcadian.
Inner City Press was there are live tweeted, here:
OK - now at asylum fraud change of plea of Igor Reznik. The plea agreement is being amended on the fly, now signed in triplicate by Reznik
His firm "advised clients to seek asylum by falsely claiming to be members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer community sufferinh persecution in their native countries, when they fully understood these clients were not members of that community ...REZNIK also coached clients to lie in asylum interviews conducted by USCIS asylum officers. The Firm employed writers & bloggers, including IGOR REZNIK, who knowingly concocted and drafted clients’ fraudulent asylum affidavits."
He has his head in his hands
The plea is on, to Count 1. Reznik is a naturalized US citizen. Judge: There may be immigration consequences.
Plea deal is for 10 to 16 months. AUSA says there are no victims.
Reznik's guilty plea is accepted. Sentencing set for January 4, 2023 at 11 am.
Then Reznik's lawyer asked if the transcript could be sealed, so that the co-defendants would not know what Reznik had pled to. The AUSA has asked if, when his Office orders the transcript, he should provide it only to Chambers, or put it in the docket. Absent a motion, it is going into the docket (as it should), albeit in a delay. But Inner City Press was there.
Resnik allocuted to emailing and planning with both co-defendants about the fake LGBTQ asylum affidavits. The AUSA mentioned a cooperating witness. Inner City Press will have more on this case.
The case is US v. Dzhamgarova, et al., 21-cr-58 (Vyskocil)
***
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
