(CTN NEWS) – The Supreme Court ruled against a California man who advertised adult adoptions that would falsely result in U.S. citizenship, upholding a part of federal law that is used to prosecute those who facilitate illegal immigration.
Supreme Court 7-2 Vote Rejected Arguments
By a vote of 7-2, the court dismissed claims that the law is unconstitutionally broad and invalid.
The lawsuit involves a provision of federal immigration law that stipulates up to five years in jail for anyone who “encourages or induces” a non-citizen to enter or remain in the country illegally.
If the encouragement is being given in exchange for personal financial advantage, that period is increased to ten years.
Helaman Hansen was a party to the court action and resided in Elk Grove, California, not far from Sacramento.
According to the federal government, Hansen duped hundreds of non-citizens between 2012 and 2016 into thinking that he could ensure them a road to citizenship through adult adoption.
Officials claim that because of Hansen’s claims, individuals broke the law by entering or remaining in the country, even though Hansen was aware that the adult adoptions he was setting up would not result in citizenship.
According to the authorities, he received payments from at least 471 individuals ranging between $550 and $10,000, for a total of more than $1.8 million.
Fraud Charges
In the end, Hansen was found guilty of both fraud and encouragement counts. He received two prison terms totaling 40 years for the fraud counts and 10 years for the encouraging charges.
However, a federal appeals court overturned just those convictions, finding that the provision on encouragement is overbroad and in violation of the First Amendment’s free speech clause.
Helaman Hansen is the defendant in the case, which is 22-179.
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