Lawyer, 2 other Staten Islanders charged in phony asylum scheme, say feds Updated Feb 19, 2021; Posted Feb 19, 2021 Most of the defendants' clients were aliens from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The defendants prepared and submitted phony asylum applications and documents on their behalf and coached them to lie during immigration proceedings, allege federal prosecutors. Facebook Share STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — An immigration lawyer who lives on Staten Island and two other borough residents were among nine individuals accused of helping clients fraudulently seek asylum in the United States, federal prosecutors allege. The defendants’ customers were primarily aliens from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States and sought asylum, visa, citizenship and other forms of legal status in the U.S., said authorities.