Tibetan Man Jailed for Asylum Fraud Scheme

Tenzin Norbu, a 56-year-old Tibetan man, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for his involvement in an asylum fraud scheme. He was charged with submitting false asylum applications for financial gain, resulting in $170,000 in forfeitures.

A Tibetan man, Tenzin Norbu, received a 27-month prison sentence for his role in an asylum fraud scheme, as reported by Phayul on Wednesday. Norbu, 56, was found guilty of making false statements on asylum applications submitted to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for financial gain.

Judge Kimba M. Wood of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York handed down the sentence on October 15. The conviction was the result of a joint investigation by USCIS, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which spanned over three years.

Court documents indicated that from 2007 to 2018, Norbu and his associates prepared counterfeit asylum applications for clients claiming Tibetan origin, alleging persecution in Chinese-controlled Tibet. Investigators noted that Norbu charged $5,000 per application and coached clients on fabricating their stories during interviews.

After being investigated, Norbu fled to Canada but was eventually extradited to the US. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024 and pled guilty in May 2025 to conspiracy charges, violating 18 United States Code Section 371. His earnings from the scheme, estimated at $170,000, were forfeited.

This fraud influenced nearly 100 individuals, leaving them in uncertain immigration statuses. While some might have had legitimate asylum claims, others attained asylum through fraudulent pathways.