IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 19, 2025--
American Lending Center Holdings Inc. (ALCH), a federally designated regional center operator, today announced the appointment of Gary N. Merson as Executive Vice President. This strategic leadership addition underscores ALC’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity, compliance, and execution in the EB-5 industry.
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With two decades of leadership experience in the federal government including senior roles within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Congress, and the White House, Merson will play a pivotal role in advancing ALC’s EB-5 strategy and policy engagement.
Drawing on his deep expertise in immigration law and policy, he will work closely with ALC’s executive leadership to build and strengthen partnerships, further develop new markets, and navigate an evolving legislative and regulatory landscape. His leadership will reinforce ALC’s role as a trusted voice in the EB-5 space.
“Gary brings a depth of vision and leadership that aligns with our mission to uphold the highest standards of integrity and performance in the EB-5 industry,” said John Shen, Chief Executive Officer of ALC. “His expertise will be instrumental in advancing our EB-5 program and positioning ALC for its next stage of sustainable growth.”
“I am thrilled to join ALC as Executive Vice President,” said Gary Merson. “Serving as a Senior Advisor to ALC CEO, John Shen, for the past three months, I have seen first-hand ALC’s unwavering commitment to the highest standards of integrity and compliance. Our values align in taking an immigrant first approach—prioritizing the immigrant’s journey before any deal or profit.”
Merson’s appointment reflects ALC’s continued commitment to delivering transparent, well-structured, and community-strengthening projects nationwide. Under his leadership, ALC will continue to build on its strong record of responsible financing and job creation.
About American Lending Center:
American Lending Center Holdings Inc. (ALCH) manages 14 EB-5 regional centers and sponsors projects across the continental United States and Hawaii. Since 2009, ALCH has raised EB-5 capital for over 100 projects in 31 states including I-956F approvals from USCIS of 38 projects. ALCH has been featured on the Inc. 5000 list of “Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America” for five consecutive years (2020–2024) and was also ranked among “America’s Fastest Growing Companies” by Financial Times in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025.
American Lending Center LLC (ALC), a mission-driven California-regulated lender, is a licensed SBA 7(a) and SSBCI lender. Together, ALCH and ALC have $2.2B in assets under management and supported the creation or retention of over 140,000 jobs in the U.S. economy.
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Gary N. Merson, Executive Vice President of American Lending Center
The death of a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who was found on a Buffalo street in February — five days after Border Patrol agents left him at a doughnut shop — has been ruled a homicide, authorities said Wednesday.
The Erie County Medical Examiner's Office didn't reach any conclusions about responsibility for Nurul Amin Shah Alam's death, which the agency said was caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer, precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration. Ruling a death a homicide means it resulted from another person's actions — or inaction — but doesn't necessarily mean that a crime was committed.
“This should not have happened,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, a Democrat, said at a news conference Wednesday. Asked whether the Border Patrol was responsible for his death, he declined to comment and said any such determination would be up to law enforcement agencies.
State Attorney General Letitia James and Erie County District Attorney Mike Keane, both Democrats, noted Wednesday that their offices have been reviewing the case. Keane said in a statement that his office had requested Shah Alam's full autopsy report but “it would be inappropriate” to comment further.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection pointed Wednesday to its previous statement that Shah Alam “showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance” when agents dropped him off Feb. 19 at a Tim Hortons restaurant.
“This death had NOTHING to do” with Border Patrol, its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, said in a Feb. 27 social media post, decrying news coverage of the case as an effort “to demonize our law enforcement.”
Immigrant advocates called Wednesday for justice for Shah Alam, a member of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority. The group has faced discrimination and oppression in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
Shah Alam sought safety in the U.S. and “instead, he was left to die in the street,” New York Immigration Coalition President Murad Awawdeh said, calling for a criminal investigation into the Border Patrol agents’ conduct: “Every single person who was involved must be held responsible.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul similarly called for accountability for everyone involved and said her aides spoke to the district attorney Wednesday afternoon. Hochul, a Democrat and Buffalo native, lambasted “the cruelty and inhumanity” of depositing a man who could barely see, or speak English, outside a then-closed restaurant.
Customs and Border Protection has said the restaurant was chosen as “a warm, safe location” near Shah Alam’s last known address.
Many details about the man's health and final days aren't publicly known, as his autopsy report is confidential under New York law.
But Erie County Health Commissioner Gale Burstein told reporters that Shah Alam developed what is commonly known as a stress ulcer, brought on in his case by dehydration and exposure to the cold. The ulcer breached his intestinal wall, creating what is generally a very painful medical emergency that needs rapid treatment, she said.
Shah Alam, 56, left Myanmar many years ago for Malaysia, where he worked in construction. He came to the U.S. as a refugee with his wife and two of his children in December 2024, according to advocates for the family.
Imran Fazal, who knows the family and founded a group called the Rohingya Empowerment Community, said Shah Alam's death left people grieving and fearful.
“This tragedy was entirely preventable, and it reflects a serious failure in the systems meant to protect vulnerable people," Fazal said Wednesday.
Shah Alam spent about a year in the Erie County jail on felony assault and other charges after a 2025 struggle with police who encountered him carrying what appeared to be curtain rods. Police said he bit two officers; advocates for his family said that he hadn't understood officers’ commands to drop the items.
He eventually pleaded guilty to two lesser, misdemeanor charges and was released from jail Feb. 19. Border Patrol then briefly detained him before determining that he wasn't eligible for deportation. His family, which had been awaiting his release from jail, wasn't informed of it.
Surveillance video, obtained by the Investigative Post, showed Shah Alam treading carefully through the Tim Hortons' empty parking lot in his county-issued jail booties, pulling his hood up against the cold and walking off into the night.
Shah Alam’s lawyer ultimately reported him missing to Buffalo police on Feb. 22.
On Feb. 24, he was found dead near the downtown sports arena where the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres play. It was unclear how he got there from the Tim Hortons, several miles away, and Burstein said Wednesday that it was impossible to determine exactly when he died.
FILE - This image from body camera video provided by the Buffalo Police Department shows Nurul Amin Shah Alam, center, led by Buffalo Police officers, Feb. 15, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (Buffalo Police Department via AP, File)
