USCIS Fraud Probe in Los Angeles Leads to Arrest in Fake Medical Exam Scheme
Published Apr 10, 2026
A USCIS fraud investigation led to the arrest of a lawful permanent resident in Los Angeles accused of creating fraudulent medical examination documents for Green Card applicants. The arrest was announced as part of a larger health care fraud takedown by the U.S. attorney's office.
Key points
- Young Joo Ko, 59, a lawful permanent resident from South Korea, was charged in Los Angeles with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents.
- Court documents allege Ko posed as a nurse or doctor and, for a fee, prepared forms falsely indicating Green Card applicants had completed required medical exams.
- Green Card applicants are required to undergo a medical exam from a civil surgeon designated by USCIS, but the applicants involved did not actually receive the exam.
- If convicted, Ko faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
- The arrest resulted from USCIS fraud detection efforts and was part of a broader health care fraud takedown announced by the U.S. attorney's office.
Who is affected
Green Card applicants in the Los Angeles area who may have been affected by fraudulent medical exam documents, and the public generally interested in immigration fraud enforcement.
What to do
Anyone with information about suspected immigration benefit fraud can report it to USCIS using the USCIS Tip Form.
Full text
The complete official text was archived on this site on 2026-10-13. It stays available here even if the source link changes or is removed.
Release Date
04/10/2026
Alien impersonated a medical professional and created fake immigration documents
LOS ANGELES – The vigilant fraud detection efforts of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services directly resulted in the arrest of Young Joo Ko, 59, of East Hollywood. Ko, a lawful permanent resident from South Korea, was charged in Los Angeles with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents. The U.S. attorney’s office announced the arrest as part of a larger health care fraud takedown.
According to court documents, Ko engaged in a medical fraud scheme exploiting the Green Card application process by creating fraudulent immigration documents. Green Card applicants must have a medical exam from a civil surgeon designated by USCIS. Ko presented herself as a nurse or doctor and, for a fee, fraudulently prepared forms indicating Green Card applicants fulfilled their medical examination requirements. However, the applicants did not actually receive the legally required medical examination.
If convicted, Ko would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
To report suspected immigration benefit fraud or abuse to USCIS, please use the USCIS Tip Form.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
04/10/2026
Original title: USCIS Fraud Probe in L.A. Leads to Arrest of Criminal Alien
Read the official source ↗ Archived copy (if the original is removed)
Ask how this affects your case
Read the official source ↗ Archived copy (if the original is removed)
This summary was produced with AI from the official announcement. Only the official source is authoritative.