Special Tribute

A 30-month investigation into allegations of fraud in the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) citizenship testing program resulted in the indictment of 20 individuals and the discovery of significant systemic problems in the INS testing process. The testing process requires applicants for U.S. citizenship to pass a standardized test demonstrating skill in written English and knowledge of U.S. government and history. In 1992, INS authorized six national testing organizations to administer the testing process. These national organizations then contracted with private individuals to conduct the actual test.

In 1995, the OIG received allegations that some of these private individuals were participating in fraudulent schemes to provide applicants with passing test scores. INS Special Agent Paul Haney and OIG Special Agent Jon Lines conducted an extensive investigation that led to the identification of the individuals responsible for developing and implementing the schemes. As many as 13,000 aliens collectively paid over $3 million to the conspirators. The agents interviewed dozens of witnesses, used undercover agents, and conducted surveillance of testing locations to obtain the evidence needed for prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) Daniel Linhardt and Eugene Illovsky of the Eastern District of California U.S. Attorney's Office then skillfully organized this evidence into prosecutable cases that to date have resulted in three guilty pleas. The prosecution significantly benefited from AUSA Robin Taylor's efforts in obtaining guilty pleas and eliciting defendant cooperation.

The extraordinary efforts of AUSAs Daniel Linhardt, Eugene Illovsky, and Robin Taylor, together with the outstanding investigative work of INS Special Agent Paul Haney and OIG Special Agent Jon Lines, have made a significant contribution toward ensuring the integrity of the citizenship testing process.