Florida Resident Charged In Scheme To Submit Fraudulent Asylum Applications

Press Release

Defendant Allegedly Falsified Stories of Political Persecution in Clients' Asylum Applications

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal grand jury has indicted Carlos Adolfo Haeckermann Cardenas on charges of aiding and abetting false statements on asylum applications.

According to an indictment filed Nov. 13, 2024, and unsealed Jan. 23, 2025, Haeckermann, 62, of Doral, Florida, held himself out to provide individuals with assistance in applying for immigration documents and benefits, including asylum. Between 2019 and 2021, Haeckermann submitted or assisted in the submission of more than 100 asylum applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and charged his clients, including some who resided in the Northern District of California, thousands of dollars to help them apply for asylum.

The indictment further alleges that it was Haeckermann's practice to draft his clients' personal statements, which frequently included stories of political persecution that formed the basis for the asylum claims. In so doing, Haeckermann allegedly included false and embellished details that were intended to substantiate his clients' asylum claims and increase the chances that his clients would be granted asylum.

It was Haeckermann's practice to send completed applications back to his clients for them to sign and submit rather than to list himself as a third-party preparer and to submit the applications himself. At times, the indictment says, Haeckermann solicited his clients for additional payments in exchange for falsified documents that Haeckermann told his clients were necessary to support their asylum claims.

Haeckermann made his initial appearance in San Francisco on Jan. 22, 2025. He is next scheduled to appear in federal court on Mar. 26, 2025, before the Hon. Vince Chhabria, U.S. District Judge.

United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Criminal Fraud Investigations Branch Chief Jeff Rusinek made the announcement.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment on each count, as well as a maximum fine of $250,000 on each count. Any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by a court only upon consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Parker is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by DSS and USCIS, with significant assistance from USCIS's Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate.

Haeckermann Indictment

Updated January 24, 2025