June 29, 2010

Two Individuals indicted in California for Immigration Fraud Scheme

On June 22, 2010,  two individuals were indicted in a San Diego federal court on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, as well as a forfeiture allegation for approximately $120,000.00 for allegedly operating a fraudulent immigration business while posing as immigration attorneys capable of obtaining legal work authorization and residency benefits from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for undocumented immigrants.  The  Defendants allegedly took the money of several individuals and unbeknownst to them filed benefits applications on their behalves using fraudulent information, while also mailing the alleged victims counterfeit immigration notices to create the appearance that the cases were progressing through the normal legal channels.

The 16-count indictment is the result of a year-long criminal investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

For more information, please visit the ICE news release.