Fake immigration lawyer Romina Aida Zadorian sentenced to jail for defrauding immigrants

Posing as a lawyer, Romina Aida Zadorian scammed dozens of immigrants. Now, she will go to prison.

Zadorian, 49, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of grand larceny, two counts of extortion and three counts of false government documents, all felonies, as part of a plea agreement, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

According to the authorities, for three years - between September 2014 and October 2017. - Zadorian operated a fraudulent immigration services business out of her home in Montebello, California. She collected payments from her victims, claiming that she was an attorney or government employee, and that she had special connections that allowed her to expedite visas, green cards for residents and citizenship petitions, when this was not true.

In addition to the 15-year state prison sentence, he was ordered to pay more than $660,000 in restitution to his 91 victims.

Zadorian has a criminal record. The criminal complaint states that she was convicted in 2009 of grand theft in Los Angeles County.

Zadorian's case was prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Notario Fraud Unit, which works in conjunction with the Consumer Protection Division to investigate and prosecute scam artists who engage in immigration fraud and the illegal practice of law by charging high fees to their victims without providing services.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office also shared three other recent cases of immigration fraud and immigrant scammers in which they obtained convictions:

Dalila Moreno, 64, of East Los Angeles - told his victims that he worked for the government or that he had special connections to the government. Promised to expedite immigration procedures. Forged visas and created fake passport stamps. In December 2018, she was sentenced to nine years in prison.followed by three years of mandatory supervision. He was also ordered to pay $303,500 in restitution to his 32 victims.

Augusto "Tito" Gonzalez De La Cruz, 58, of Upland - said he was an immigration attorney. He promised his clients that he could speed up visa processing.The following are the most common types of applications: green cards, residency cards and citizenship applications. In October 2018, he was sentenced to five years in prison.followed by four years of mandatory supervision. It was also ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution to 35 victims.

Gregory Chavez, 55, of Porter Ranch - posed as a law enforcement officer, promising the families of detained immigrant families that he could take their loved ones out of custody if they paid him money. In July 2017, Chavez was sentenced to 10 years in prison.followed by five years of mandatory supervision. It was also ordered to pay $549,000 in restitution to its 102 victims.

IMPORTANCE OF GOOD LEGAL REPRESENTATION

I remind you to always verify the credentials of the person who is going to help you with immigration procedures. Avoid going to notarios, immigration consultants, paper fillers and multi-service agencies. They do not have the training, experience, or licensing necessary to practice law and ensure that the paperwork is done correctly. Going to one of these people can hurt your case and expose you to being scammed.

Please be careful and click here for tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of immigration fraud.

MUST REPORT IMMIGRATION FRAUD

According to Public Information Officer Paul Eakins, since 2017, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Notario Fraud Unit successfully prosecuted 8 immigration fraud cases in which more than 300 victims were defrauded of more than $3 million. It is currently investigating other potential cases involving possibly another 300 victims.

Prior to the formation of the Notario Fraud Unit in 2017, immigration fraud cases were often not prosecuted due to lack of resources and training. There are now two deputy prosecutors and one investigator dedicated to investigating and prosecuting these kinds of crimes.

In Los Angeles County, you can report immigration fraud by calling 213-257-2450.