MoCo lawyer gets 5 years for asylum scheme

A Silver Spring lawyer has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for preparing false asylum applications for immigrants seeking to stay in the United States.

A jury convicted Patrick Tzeuton in February and prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte on Wednesday to impose a prison term of 64 months. Tzeuton has been jailed since his conviction.

Prosecutors say Tzeuton, who is from Cameroon and worked with many clients from West Africa, authorized fraudulent filings and coached his clients to lie to immigration officials.

Tzeuton’ attorney says his client maintains his innocence and plans to appeal.