Man Sentenced for Gay Immigration Fraud

A Seattle-area man accused of counseling straight immigrants to claim they were gay in order to obtain asylum in the United States has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.

The Russian-born Steven Mahoney pleaded guilty to the fraud in April, according to the Associated Press.

"Steven Mahoney touted himself as an expert in immigration affairs and ran Mahoney and Associates near Seattle, which advised immigrants on how to stay in the United States," reported the AP. "He pleaded guilty in April, acknowledging that from 1998 to 2007 he filed as many as 99 false immigration documents and was paid $1,000 to $4,000 for each."

Helen Mahoney, his ex-wife, was sentenced to six months.