13 Foreign Nationals Arrested Over Orlando Firm Accused of Selling Fake Immigration Help to Migrants, Breitbart Reports
Federal officials say the firm, Legacy Imigra, took fees for filings it never made and threatened to 'lose' paperwork. The 13 face conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges are allegations.
Thirteen foreign nationals from Brazil and Cuba have been arrested and charged over a scheme that sold fake immigration help to migrants, Breitbart reports, citing a Homeland Security news release.
The scheme. The Orlando-based company, Legacy Imigra, is accused of posing as a professional office staffed by immigration experts and attorneys. Breitbart says it charged clients for legal aid and document filings but did not perform the services, filed false documents, and then pressed clients for more money by threatening that their paperwork would be "lost."
Employment. DHS also accuses the 13 of regularly hiring workers they knew were not authorized to work in the United States.
The charge. Breitbart says the defendants face conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
What officials said. U.S. Attorney Greg Kehoe of the Middle District of Florida said many victims were from Brazil: "They were trying to go through the immigration process the right way by hiring a lawyer." Orange County Sheriff John Mina said the case dismantled an enterprise that "amassed millions of dollars by exploiting victims and their fear of removal."
Wider context. Breitbart ties the case to other recent actions against immigration-services fraud, including the closing of a large Seattle law practice and a proposed $250,000 fine against another attorney. We have not checked those cases.
What we could not check. We did not read the DHS release or the indictment. Charges are allegations and no one has been convicted.