A woman in California has been charged with giving legal advice to immigrants without the proper license. The staff members at her immigrantion consulting firm in Los Angeles are also facing criminal charges. These charges have been made possible after several clients came forward to authorities to complain about the business.
It was recently reported that, the 65-year-old owner of Hermandad Mexicana Tansnacional in Panorama City, was charged with a total of three counts of failing to post notification that she and her staff are not attorneys and two counts of providing legal advice without the proper licensing. She is facing up to five years in jail and a significant sum in fines if she is convicted. Each of her staff members were also charged with similar crimes. Each is facing a year in jail and fines of up to $1,000.
These charges were filed after a few clients sought help from authorities after their immigrantion applications were denied. These victims paid thousands of dollars for services they say the did not receive. A spokesman for the accused says that the charges are minimal and that the accused is providing a good community service.
immigrantion consultation offices can be found all across California. While they might serve some purpose, the employees of these firms are generally not attorneys with the legal knowledge necessary to deal with certain immigrantion issues, or the proper licensing to help immigrants get through the immigrantion process successfully. Those needing assistance with immigrantion matters would best benefit from seeking the services offered by an experienced immigrantion attorney.
Source: NBC Los Angeles, “immigrantion Consultant Charged”, March 31, 2016