The New York State Supreme Court in Brooklyn sentenced Howard Seidler to two to four years in prison for impersonating an immigration attorney.
According to investigators, the 70-year-old man charged thousands of dollars for immigration services he never provided.
Seidler pleaded guilty in February to third-degree charges of grand theft and first-degree immigrant services fraud.
With this conviction, Seidler becomes the first person convicted on the felony charge created last year in New York to protect immigrants who are specific targets of fraud.
The fake lawyer, who scammed Brooklyn residents by offering them immigration documents, was arrested last year after an undercover investigation.
Seidler, who advertised for his services, made appointments with clients at his supposed office, which was actually the Brooklyn Bar Association library.
In April 2015, an undercover agent hired Siedler and paid him $3,085 to get him a Green Card and a Social Security card.
Weeks later, the fake lawyer gave the agent a forged Social Security card with a number that corresponded to other people - not the number the investigator had provided.
Investigators discovered that in addition to not being licensed to practice law, Seidler never filed the Green Card application with immigration authorities for the undercover agent.
If you have been victimized by Seidler, call the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office at 718-250-2340 to file a report.
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