Bonnie M. Youn Indicted On Visa Fraud Charges

Immigration attorney and former Champion of Change named by the White House, Bonnie M. Youn, was indicted on charges of submitting falsified immigration documents to the U.S. and witness tampering April 1, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Georgia.

Youn is accused of submitting documents that contained false information about material facts on behalf of an undocumented immigrant who was her client starting in February 2009.

During the investigation, she contacted the undocumented person, noted only by her initials in the charges, and encouraged her to lie to federal agents when they contacted her for questioning.

It is believed that Youn manipulated documents for her financial benefit.

“We expect lawyers to uphold and defend the rule of law, not assist clients in breaking the law, as Ms. Youn is charged in this indictment,” U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said. “Specifically, Ms. Youn is charged with obtaining legal status for a client in this country by filing false documents with the United States Government, and encouraging them to lie to federal agents.”

United States Magistrate Judge Gerrilyn G. Brill arraigned the 44-year-old attorney in Atlanta, who was later released on a $25,000 unsecured bond. She was also ordered to surrender her U.S. passport.

Her Champions of Change profile on the White House website has been subsequently removed.