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Twenty-nine people have been arrested as a result of an investigation into a forgery ring that helped people gain illegal entry into the U.S. The alleged ringleader, Bahram Tabatabai, was one of 16 people indicted for their role in the ring. Tabatabai would allegedly act as a translator at INS asylum interviews, changing the answers the applicants gave to be sufficient to gain asylum. Tabatabai allegedly represented as many as 300 applicants in this way. How many gained entry into the U.S. has not been revealed. The ring also used false documents to create new identities for applicants who had criminal records or ties to subversive organizations. It is believed that some of the people who sought asylum through this ring were members of the Mujahedeed Khalq, an Iranian opposition group based in Iraq that is on the State Department list of terrorist organizations. Applicants were charged a minimum of $ 2,000 for the false documents and services, with applicants who gained entry to the U.S. being charged between $ 8,000 and $ 12,000. Fourteen people were also arrested for being illegally in the U.S. and will shortly be deported.
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