The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office announced that Jesus Luna Lozano, also known as Enrique Perez Huerta, was convicted of practicing law without a license, defrauding immigrants by giving false information, and violating a permanent restraining order against him prohibiting him from practicing as an immigration consultant.
Lozano did not plead guilty. But as part of a plea deal, he pleaded no contest to the charges and will spend at least 90 days in jail and three years on probation.
The final sentence will be issued within 3 months to give the Prosecutor's Office time to identify how much money should be returned to the victims.
According to the District Attorney's Office, Lozano operated his business under the name West Coast Professional Services and/or East West Law Center in Van Nuys. His offices, located at 6320 Van Nuys Boulevard, were closed.
Since 2003, Lozano has been subject to a restraining order following a civil lawsuit for practicing immigration law without a license. But he violated that order several times.
In February, the U.S. Attorney's Office filed six criminal charges against Lozano after an undercover operation in which investigators from the Department of Consumer Affairs visited him at his offices posing as clients and verified that he was providing immigration legal advice in violation of a non-practice restraining order.
This is the first conviction of an immigration consultant who was operating illegally, since the Los Angeles Attorney Mike Feuer announced a campaign against notarios and immigration fraud in December. I thank Attorney Feuer for his efforts to combat the illegal practice of law in the Los Angeles area.
I remind you that notarios and immigration consultants are not lawyers and cannot give legal advice. Please do not go to these individuals, who can only hurt your chances of fixing your immigration status.
If you have been victimized by Luna Lozano or other individuals posing as attorneys, you can report your cases by calling: 800-593-8222.
