Bay Area woman sentenced to 6 months in prison for orchestrating asylum fraud scheme

SAN FRANCISCO – A Bay Area woman has been sentenced to six months in prison for orchestrating a scheme that aided Mongolian nationals with filing fraudulent applications seeking asylum in the U.S.

Buyantod Thomas, 30, of Concord, was sentenced July 9 for aiding and abetting the submission of fraudulent asylum applications. The charges are the result of a multiyear probe by Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force headed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations. This case was prosecuted by the Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Special Prosecutions and National Security Unit. 

Thomas pleaded guilty in March to a one-count indictment charging her with knowingly aiding and abetting a person to make a false statement in an asylum application filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. To qualify for asylum, applicants must demonstrate that their removal would put them at significant risk based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, membership in a particular social group, or on account of a torture convention. In this case, Thomas admitted she helped Mongolian nationals apply for asylum based on fictitious stories and false documents. 

At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, found that Thomas assisted in filing at least 25 fraudulent asylum applications.  In imposing prison time, Judge Illston emphasized the need for deterrence for crimes of this nature, explaining: “I find these to be very serious crimes. The asylum system is such a precious system…and…[actions like these are] really damaging to the immigration system that we have in place.”

In addition to the prison term, Judge Illston also sentenced Thomas to three years’ supervised release. The defendant will begin serving her sentence in September.