Four individuals from Colombia have been taken into custody following claims that they impersonated immigration and federal agents to exploit immigrants. Notably, three of the suspects had left the country from an airport with one-way tickets.
The trio—brothers Daniela Alejandra Sánchez Ramirez (25), Joan Sebastian Sánchez Ramirez (29), and Alexandra Patricia Sánchez Ramirez (38)—were apprehended at Newark Airport in New Jersey, where they were ready to depart for Colombia. The fourth suspect, identified as Marlin Yuritza Salazar Pineda, 24, was arrested at a New Jersey restaurant.
It’s worth noting that a fifth suspect named in the unsealed indictment remains at large and is not yet in U.S. custody.
According to officials, the quartet engaged in a scheme that involved duping victims through fake legal proceedings conducted via video calls, during which they pretended to be judges and law enforcement officials.
“The defendants shamelessly defrauded their victims by providing them with counterfeit documents and orchestrating sham court sessions,” stated Joseph Nocera Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors have also highlighted that victims were led to think their immigration matters were settled, preventing them from appearing in actual immigration court. In fact, at least one individual mistakenly believed his case was resolved but ended up facing a deportation order, which was later rescinded.
This group is suspected of laundering a significant amount of money, reportedly in the tens of thousands, taken from victims to benefit both themselves and their co-conspirators back in Colombia.
The indictment alleges that the defendants ran fake law firms, primarily reaching out to potential “clients” through social media, and charged them hefty fees for non-existent legal advice.
According to investigators, they’ve tracked over $100,000 in fraudulent transactions linked to the victims, who unwittingly sent money to the defendants and others connected to these bogus firms.
All five individuals now face multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud itself, money laundering conspiracy, and two counts of impersonating government officials.
Among the suspects, Daniela Ramirez, Joan Ramirez, and Marlin Pineda are reported to be immigrant parolees, while Alexandra Ramirez is in the U.S. on a tourist visa.
