A New York City man was indicted Thursday on charges that he posed as an immigration lawyer and collected thousands of dollars in legal fees from immigrants seeking green card status.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that 33-year-old Pablo Israel Ortega Cuenca has been charged with two counts each of first-degree immigration assistance and third-degree grand larceny. Degree fraud scheme.
“As alleged, New Yorkers seeking permanent residency trusted Pablo Israel Ortega Cuenca to provide them with legal services, but he used them to sway them against deportation. You broke that trust by putting yourself at risk,” Bragg said.
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Asylum seekers are detained before being transported by city bus from a Port Authority bus terminal to housing facilities in the Bronx and Queens in New York City, May 15, 2023. (John Lamparski/Getty Images/File)
In a press release, Bragg's office cited court documents and statements recorded between February 2017 and October 2019.
Cuenca allegedly misled clients about his professional status as a lawyer and the fees associated with filing immigration applications.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Photo credit: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images/File)
Mr. Bragg's office said that in some cases Mr. Cuenca directed individuals to file frivolous asylum claims, but in other cases Mr. Cuenca did not file applications or filed them in court. It is said that the schedule was not notified.
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“Cuenca convinced at least two people that he was an immigration lawyer, and in doing so, misrepresented himself as either a lawyer at the Center for Immigration Studies, an employee of the Spanish Consulate General, or a government immigration officer.” said Braggs. the office said in a release. “Based on these statements, Cuenca received over $11,000 in legal fees from multiple individuals.”
Migrants line up outside the former St. Brigid's School to apply for shelter in New York City on December 7, 2023. (Charlie Tribalew/AFP via Getty Images/File)
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The DA's Office urges anyone who believes they may be a victim of fraud, or who knows someone who has been a victim of fraud, to contact Bragg Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 212-335-3600 or on WhatsApp at 347 -371-0877).
An interpreter will assist you. Our office encourages anyone to consult us, regardless of their immigration status.
