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Citizenship ceremony conman jailed

A Chinese national behind a fake document scam which raked in hundreds of thousands of pounds from immigrants seeking to stay in the United Kingdom has been jailed for four-and-half years after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Xiang Li, a 29-year-old from Stratford in London, who denied the charges, ran two bogus law firms, issued fake passports and work permits, and even staged a phoney citizenship ceremony where the unsuspecting immigrants were greeted by actors playing the parts of officials and local dignitaries against a backdrop of a picture of the Queen and the Union flag.

The investigation into Li's activities, Operation Catalina, began when police officers working at King George Docks in Humberside arrested a Chinese national trying to enter the United Kingdom using what he believed to be a legitimate United Kingdom passport.

Further inquiries by the UK Border Agency's immigration crime team led to two suspicious 'law firms' based in and around Lombard Street in central London. Called Lombard and Borough de Law, they advertised their services in the Chinese language press.

Following operations on both firms, the immigration crime team unearthed receipts showing that the companies had charged up to 50 individuals an average of £20,000 for their services. Officers also uncovered evidence of the meticulously planned bogus citizenship ceremony, which took place at the Methodist Hall in Westminster in December 2007. The gang were also involved in issuing forged documents. This led to Xiang Li's arrest in January 2008.

Welcoming the verdict, UK Border Agency regional director Jeremy Oppenheim said:

'Criminal gangs should be warned - we are putting an end to scams like this. Major reforms to the immigration system are making life harder than ever for those seeking to abuse our hospitality. Today's verdict is the result of the strong partnerships we have forged with the police across the UK to crack down on organised criminals seeking to abuse the immigration system.

'The sentence handed out shows there is no hiding place for those that break the rules. We will take steps to deport Mr Li at the end of his sentence.'

With Xiang Li's conviction, the search continues for his alleged accomplice: 26-year-old Tian Zhao, whose real name is believed to be Wentao Li.

The trial was the culmination of a 20-month investigation by the newly formed North East, Yorkshire and the Humber immigration crime team, which comprises UK Border Agency officers working with detectives from seven police forces in the region to tackle organised immigration crime.

Dave Powell, Detective Chief Inspector for the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber immigration crime team, said:

'This was a highly organised and elaborate national scam, and we are pleased to see this successful conviction today. The combination of skills from UK Border Agency immigration officers and detectives from the police make for a formidable team that can pursue suspects wherever they reside in the UK.

'We remain committed to tracing others suspected of being part of this organised crime group, to ensure that they cannot take advantage of other vulnerable people who seek to live and work in the UK.'

The trial judge recommended Xiang Li, who had denied the charges, for deportation after serving his sentence.

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