California Bar investigators found dozens of valid green cards, work permits and social security cards that fake attorney Judith Gil never gave to her clients.
Now, they are asking for help in finding the immigrant beneficiaries of those legal documents so that they can claim them.
The State Bar of California found the documents among more than 300 boxes they seized from different Gil offices in February 2019 after assuming jurisdiction over the unauthorized law practice she operated under the business name of FJA & Associates along with her daughter Minerva at six different locations in the Los Angeles area.
Those boxes contained approximately 1,000 active customer files, which must be returned to their owners.
The authorities have not been able to find the beneficiaries of work permits, green cards and other documents because Gil used his office address and not those of his clients.
The California Bar Association closed the offices of FJA & Associates, Judith Gil's law firm. All files and documents remain in their possession until they can be identified and delivered to their owners.
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office filed multiple criminal charges against both women in January of this year.
Salvadoran Judith Gil faces 17 criminal charges, including grand theft and unauthorized practice of law. Her daughter Minerva faces 3 criminal charges for improperly acting as an immigration consultant and unauthorized practice of law.
According to investigators, Judith Gil misled her clients into believing she was qualified to provide legal services in immigration matters when she was not, charged thousands of dollars for her services without performing work for which she was hired, and advised clients to lie to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Judith Gil is scheduled to appear in court to face charges on April 18.
If you or someone you know believes that you have been a victim of Judith or Minerva Gil, contact the State Bar of California at 213-765-1644. They may also present a to file a complaint with the State Bar of California by clicking here.where you will find instructions in Spanish.
There is no cost to file a complaint and you will not be asked your legal status.
Here you can see a Univision report on the case:
