Four Arrested in U.S. for Posing as Immigration Lawyers and Judges, Defrauding Immigrants
Federal authorities in the United States have arrested four Colombian nationals accused of operating a fake law firm and posing as immigration judges, lawyers, and federal agents to defraud immigrants of more than $100,000.
According to federal prosecutors, the suspects deceived victims by claiming to resolve immigration cases through fabricated legal proceedings, including staged virtual court hearings. The defendants allegedly sent fraudulent documents and convinced victims that their immigration matters had been settled.
Three of the arrested individuals are siblings from the same family: Daniela Alejandra Sánchez Ramírez (25), Johan Sebastián Sánchez Ramírez (29), and Alexandra Patricia Sánchez Ramírez (38). Federal officials said the three were arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where they were found carrying one-way tickets to Colombia.
The fourth defendant, Marlin Yulitza Salazar Pineda (24), was arrested at a restaurant in New Jersey.
A partially unsealed indictment also names a fifth suspect who is not currently in U.S. custody.
In a statement, Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, said the defendants “brazenly stole money from vulnerable victims by impersonating judges, law enforcement officers, and attorneys,” and by orchestrating fake court proceedings.
Prosecutors said the group organized sham immigration hearings via video conference, during which they posed as judges and officials. Court filings include representative images from at least two such virtual “hearings,” with faces obscured.
Victims were led to believe their cases had been fully resolved, causing some to miss legitimate immigration court appearances. In at least one case, a woman who believed her immigration issues were settled was ordered deported for failing to appear in court; that deportation order was later vacated.
Authorities further allege that a significant portion of the fraud proceeds was transferred to the defendants themselves and to associates in Colombia. The fake law firm primarily recruited victims through Facebook and charged fees ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars for nonexistent legal services.
Investigators have identified more than $100,000 in fraudulent wire transfers sent to the defendants and their co-conspirators.
All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of impersonating officers or employees of the U.S. government. Prosecutors said Daniela and Johan Ramírez and Marlin Pineda were in the United States on immigration parole, while Alexandra Ramírez was in the country on a tourist visa.
