Fake immigration lawyers staged sham court hearings to scam migrants: feds

"Con artists posing as immigration lawyers created fake legal documents and even staged sham court proceedings to dupe migrants seeking legal pathways to U.S. residency out of their hard-earned money, according to a five-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court on Friday. The indictment charges five defendants with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and two counts of false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States, according to U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr."

"Three of the defendants, Daniela Alejandra Sanchez Ramirez, 25, Jhoan Sebastian Sanchez Ramirez, 29, and Alexandra Patricia Sanchez Ramirez, 38, were arrested Friday afternoon at Newark Liberty International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Colombia using one-way tickets. A fourth defendant, 24-year-old Marlyn Yulitza Salazar Pineda, was caught at a restaurant in New Jersey, while a fifth, unnamed defendant remains at large."

"Between March 2023 and November 2025, the scammers portrayed themselves as lawyers operating out of a bogus immigration law firm, called CM Bufete De Abogados Consultoria Migratoria, who solicited prospective clients primarily through Facebook, prosecutors said. After billing their victims fees ranging from hundreds up to thousands of dollars, the defendants sent them fake documents doctored to appear official, with the symbols of federal agencies and sometimes referencing the actual ongoing immigration court cases of their clients, prosecutors said."

Five defendants were charged in a five-count indictment alleging wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and false impersonation of a U.S. officer or employee. Three defendants were arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport while attempting to fly to Colombia; a fourth was detained in a New Jersey restaurant and a fifth remains at large. Between March 2023 and November 2025, the defendants portrayed themselves as lawyers operating out of a bogus immigration law firm, called CM Bufete De Abogados Consultoria Migratoria, and solicited prospective clients primarily through Facebook. They billed victims hundreds to thousands of dollars, sent forged documents bearing federal agency symbols and references to clients' actual immigration cases, and hosted sham asylum interviews and court appearances via video conference.

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