San Francisco Sun

A federal grand jury has indicted Dongquan “Derek” Jin and Yimin “Kelly” Lu, executives of Gospel Immigration Service, Inc., on charges related to submitting fraudulent asylum applications. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, alongside officials from the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

The indictment, filed on August 20, 2024, and unsealed on September 19, 2024, accuses Jin and Lu of aiding in false statements for asylum applications. Their company, based in Newark, California, presented itself as assisting individuals with immigration documents and benefits.

Jin and Lu are alleged to have been the preparers for over 200 asylum applications submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services between 2013 and 2024. They allegedly provided clients with sample personal statements describing persecution to be used in their asylum applications. The indictment claims that Jin and Lu would review these statements and add false details they believed would help secure asylum approval.

Further allegations state that before clients attended USCIS interviews, Jin and Lu instructed them to memorize false information from their applications. They also reportedly conducted interview training sessions to improve the chances of a favorable outcome. Clients were charged at least $5,000 for these services and were pressured for additional bonuses once applications were approved.

Jin and Lu are scheduled to appear in federal court on October 16, 2024, before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer.

The indictment is an allegation of criminal activity; both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, each could face up to ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing would consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with federal statutes.

The case is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jared S. Buszin and E. Wistar Wilson with support from Tina Rosenbaum. It results from an investigation led by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration alongside the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), overseen by HSI.