Press Release
SIX SOUTH FLORIDA RESIDENTS INDICTED FOR IMMIGRATION BENEFIT FRAUD
November 4, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mastermind of scheme claimed to be an immigration consultant and attorney
Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Investigations, announced that six defendants were indicted on charges of conspiracy to induce and encourage aliens to remain in the United States and making false statements in applications for immigration benefits.
Indicted on October 29, 2009 were defendants Victor Abreu, 45, of Sunny Isles, Pablo Roldan, 38, Adriana Segundo-Zaldivar, 42, both of Hollywood, Sergio Alfaro, 45, and America Sophia George, 42, both of Miami, and Karina Vazquez, 37, formerly of Hallandale Beach. The defendants were charged with conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371; false statements, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001; and inducing and encouraging aliens to remain in the U.S., in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324. If convicted, they each face a maximum statutory penalty of ten years in prison.
On Monday, November 2, 2009, ICE special agents arrested five of the six defendants; defendant Karina Vazquez remains a fugitive. The five arrested made their initial appearances Tuesday in federal court in Miami before U.S. Magistrate Judge John O’Sullivan. Detention hearings have been scheduled for Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
In May 2007, ICE special agents in Fort Lauderdale began an investigation of Victor Abreu of Abreu & Associates, based on allegations that he was involved in immigration benefit fraud. Abreu and his employees were allegedly preparing false boilerplate immigration applications for illegal immigrants, including applications for employment authorization and employment visas.
According to the Indictment, the defendants engaged in a scheme through which they solicited payments from illegal immigrants by falsely promising to assist them with immigration matters. The defendants would then prepare applications for the illegal immigrants, knowing that the immigrants were not entitled to the benefits sought. The scheme involved the preparation of benefit applications for at least 300 individuals from Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Venezuela, and Mexico, among other countries. After receiving payments, Abreu and his co-defendants prepared the false immigration documents. To execute the scheme, defendant Abreu falsely purported to be an immigration attorney and consultant. As a result of the scheme, some of the illegal immigrants obtained legitimate work authorization cards and driver’s licenses to which they were not lawfully entitled.
Acting United States Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman said, “Fraudulent schemes, like the one charged in this case, undermine the legal immigration process and can threaten our national security. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to enforce the immigration laws.”
“The filing of false applications to obtain immigration benefits for individuals that are not authorized to be present in the United States puts the security of our communities at risk,” said Anthony Mangione, ICE Special Agent in Charge of ICE’s Office of Investigations in Miami. “Immigration benefits like these could be exploited by dangerous criminals to obscure their identities and cover their tracks. ICE will continue to aggressively pursue and criminally charge individuals who would exploit immigrant communities for their own self interests.”
An Indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Mr. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of ICE’s Office of Investigations in Fort Lauderdale. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Lorraine Tashman.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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