Map: Sites of EB-5 Visa Fraud and Folly in the United States

By Bryan Griffith and David North on March 18, 2020
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The Center has created the map below identifying some locations of prominent EB-5 scandals. The EB-5 program, during the period covered by the map, provided a family-sized set of green cards to aliens investing $500,000 in a Department of Homeland Security approved, but not guaranteed, project, usually in urban real estate. Each investment is supposed to create 10 new jobs. The size of the minimum investment was increased in November 2019 to $900,000.

EB-5 investments are usually in glitzy, downtown locations like Manhattan, Miami, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, as reflected on the map. The original intent to locate these investments in areas of high unemployment has been thwarted by clever developers and passive government agencies.

The notations on the map show some of the locations where EB-5 actors encountered legal issues or have incurred other types of formal, public troubles – ranging from a mysterious death in South Dakota, to numerous federal and state indictments, to governmental and investors' civil suits. 

 

Map Updated on 3/18/2020
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Federal Case
State or Local Case
Civil Case
Terminated Regional Centers
Other
Full Screen Map - Map Picture - Spreadsheet of Map Points

 

The map shows formal published actions taken against EB-5 actors in recent years and known to CIS. The actions noted include criminal indictments or pleas, civil suits filed by government or private interests, reports of inspectors general, and a few corrective actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security. Terminations of regional center status by DHS are only included when fraud was alleged. The Center will correct and update the map as new information is acquired. If you have insight to EB-5 visa fraud, please let us know: [email protected] (please add “EB-5” to the subject heading).