Dec. 04--A psychiatrist and a counselor at a Chicago medical practice have been charged with falsely diagnosing immigrants as disabled to help them bypass some tests for U.S. citizenship.
Dr. Marek Walczyk, a psychiatrist, and Katarzyna Fergemann, a counselor who worked in the same Northwest Side practice, are accused of fraudulently reporting that applicants for U.S. citizenship were suffering from a physical or mental impairment, prosecutors said.
They falsely claimed that those impairments rendered them unable to demonstrate the required knowledge of United States history and the English language, according to the indictment announced Thursday.
A medical certification of impairment allows individuals to seek an exemption from the civics and English-language tests required for naturalized U.S. citizenship.
According to the indictment, Fergemann reported an applicant had a learning disability as a result of suffering from a social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and major depressive disorder, even though she knew the person did not suffer from a physical or mental impairment.
Walczyk subsequently certified Fergemann's results in a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services form, allowing for that person to forgo the civics and English-language tests required for citizenship.
After their arrest Thursday morning, Walczyk, 59, of Norridge, and Fergemann, 38, of Chicago, pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and two counts of attempted unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization. The two defendants, who face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, were released on a $15,000 bond.
Walczyk and Fergemann are scheduled to return to for a hearing Jan. 7 before U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood.
tbriscoe@tribpub.com
