Four people have been arraigned in New Jersey for allegedly running a fake law firm and staging bogus court proceedings to defraud immigrants, the US Department of Justice has said. A fifth suspect remains at large in Colombia.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, who announced the arrests on Friday, said the group posed as immigration attorneys and officials in an elaborate scheme targeting vulnerable individuals seeking legal help. The accused made over $100,000, with tens of thousands laundered to co-conspirators in Colombia.
The scheme caused devastating consequences for dozens of victims, the DOJ said. One person missed actual court hearings due to the deception and was ordered deported in absentia. The defendants operated a fake law firm called 'CM Bufete de Abogados Consultoria Migratoria', despite none being licensed to practise law in the US.
The four arrested are Daniela Alejandra Sanchez Ramirez, Marlyn Yulitza Salazar Pineda, Jhoan Sebastian Sanchez Ramirez and Alexandra Patricia Sanchez Ramirez. They face charges including wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy and false impersonation.
Prosecutors said the defendants found clients on Facebook, charging fees from hundreds to thousands of dollars. They crafted fake documents with US government logos and impersonated immigration judges and officials. When one victim discovered the scam, the group sent aggressive messages threatening deportation and demanding more money.
