A federal grand jury has indicted Carlos Adolfo Haeckermann Cardenas, 62, of Doral, Florida, on charges related to aiding and abetting false statements in asylum applications. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, Haeckermann offered his services to help individuals apply for immigration benefits, including asylum, between 2019 and 2021.
The indictment states that Haeckermann submitted over 100 asylum applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), charging his clients thousands of dollars for his assistance. During this time, Haeckermann allegedly drafted personal statements for his clients, often fabricating or embellishing stories of political persecution to strengthen the asylum claims and improve the chances of approval.
In many cases, Haeckermann is accused of submitting the applications without listing himself as a third-party preparer. This allowed him to avoid the required disclosures while still completing the applications on behalf of his clients. He is also alleged to have solicited additional payments for falsified documents, claiming they were necessary to support the asylum claims.
If convicted, Haeckermann faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge, as well as a maximum fine of $250,000 per count. The indictment is based on alleged violations and is not an indication of guilt; Haeckermann is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
The charges serve as a reminder of the severe consequences of fraudulent immigration practices and the importance of honest and transparent dealings in immigration applications.
