8 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 15, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Rego Park woman busted in visa fraud ring
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Th ree women, including one who is still
on the lam, were charged on Th ursday for
allegedly running a visa fraud scheme out
of a purported performing arts organization
based in Rego Park.
Stella Boyadjian, 47, of Rego Park, and
Hrachya Atoyan, 30, of Glendale, CA,
were charged on multiple counts of visa
fraud and with conspiring to defraud
the United States, commit visa fraud
and illegally bring aliens into the United
States. Boyadjian and Grigoryan are also
charged with related money laundering
charges, and Boyadjian is charged with
aggravated identity theft .
“As alleged in the indictment, the defendants
choreographed their fraud scheme
by dressing visa applicants in traditional
dance costumes and creating fake concert
fl yers in order to deceive a government
program that allows foreign nationals to
temporarily enter the United States as
artistic performers,” stated United States
Attorney Richard Donoghue. “As a result
of outstanding investigative work and
commitment to protecting the integrity
of the immigration process by this offi ce
and our law enforcement partners, the
defendants will now face the music for
their alleged crimes.”
Boyadjian was arraigned on
Wednesday, Feb. 7, and pleaded not
guilty to the charges and was released on
a $150,000 bond. Hrachya Atoyan will be
appear for a removal hearing on Feb. 8 in
the Central District of California. Diana
Grigoryan, 41, of Yerevan, Armenia, also
known as “Dina Akopovna,” is said to
be involved in the scheme and remains
at large.
According to charges, Boyadjian,
Atoyan and Grigoryan were allegedly
running a visa fraud scheme to illegally
bring foreign nationals into the
United States by fraudulently claiming
to the United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) that they
were members of traditional Armenian
performance groups and thus qualifi ed
for P-3 visas as “culturally unique” artists
or entertainers.
Th e P-3 non-immigrant visa classifi cation
allows foreign nationals to temporarily
travel to the United States to perform,
teach or coach as artists or entertainers,
under a program that is culturally
unique. A United States employer or
sponsoring organization is required to
submit a USCIS Form I-129 Petition for
a Non-Immigrant Worker, along with
supporting documentation, attesting that
the performances in the United States are
culturally unique.
According to the indictment, Boyadjian
ran a nonprofi t organization called Big
Apple Music Awards Foundation Inc.
(BAMA) in Rego Park. She and her
co-conspirators allegedly used the organization
to further their scheme by soliciting
the foreign nationals and charging
them fees ranging from $3,000 to $15,000
per applicant. With the fees, they allegedly
obtained P-3 visas fraudulently by submitting
false Forms I-129 and supporting
documents to the USCIS.
Upon approval of the Form I-129 petitions,
the women and their co-conspirators
acquired fraudulent dance certifi
cates. Th e P-3 visa applicants were
allegedly trained how to falsely answer
questions during visa interviews and presented
these fake certifi cates and photos
during their P-3 visa interviews.
Once in the United States, some benefi
ciaries of the P-3 visas paid the defendants
an additional fee to be included in
applications for extensions of their fraudulently
obtained visas. Th e defendants
allegedly furthered their scheme by creating
fl yers and other documents regarding
BAMA-sponsored concerts and events in
the United States.
Photo courtesy of state Senator Tony Avella’s offi ce
College Point street is a hazard
and health concern, residents say
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
College Point residents are calling on
the city to fi nally address a long-standing
drainage issue in the neighborhood.
State Senator Tony Avella stood with
locals at Powells Cove Boulevard, a roadway
notorious for fl ooding conditions
due to a poorly maintained roadbed and
lack of storm sewers, on Feb. 9.
Th e problematic roadway has been
aff ecting quality of life for those living in
the area for 26 years, according to resident
Irina Ngai.
“In the winter when it snows, it fl oods and
turns icy and slippery,” he said. “In the summertime
there are mosquitoes, it attracts
disease, and the debris creates a hazard.”
If the city were to install a sewer system
in the area, “most of the problem would
go away,” Ngai added.
At the time of the press conference,
rainfall collected at the site from earlier
in the week was frozen over. Residents
expect the fl ooding to be present into
the spring.
According to Avella, city agencies
have inspected the site but have yet
to take any action. Th e Department of
Transportation (DOT) told the lawmaker
they cannot address the roadway issues
until the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) addresses the lack of
storm sewers.
“Just because these New Yorkers live at
the end of College Point does not mean
that you should treat them like they live
at the end of the world,” Avella said.
“Th ese New Yorkers have waited too
long. Something needs to be done immediately.
It is absurd that residents are still
having to beg for basic city services like
storm sewers.”
A city spokesperson for DEP and DOT
said city engineers are working to determine
what upgrades to Powell’s Cove
Boulevard may be feasible.
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