February 6, 2006
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today won a nearly $10 million judgment against a fraudulent immigration consultant who misrepresented her qualifications and authority to provide legal advice and immigration-related services.
The judgment for civil penalties and restitution was filed in the 295th Judicial District in Harris County against Yolanda Perez, in response to a suit the Attorney General filed in February 2005 against her and her sham nonprofit corporation for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
"This judgment sends a clear signal to unscrupulous immigration 'experts' that these scams will not be tolerated," said Attorney General Abbott. "My office will aggressively prosecute those who violate Texas law."
Abbott's lawsuit against Perez alleged that she charged consumers to provide unauthorized legal advice and illegally prepare immigration documents. Perez falsely told clients she was a former employee of the then-Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
She provided services in Harris County for at least four years, advertising on misleading business cards, the suit charged. In order to lend credibility to her business, she maintained that she was affiliated with the churches in which she worked.
Perez also falsely represented herself as an attorney. In Texas, only licensed attorneys and nonprofit organizations specifically accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice's Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) can charge fees to advise and represent clients in immigration matters.
Perez, who operated under several names including New Anointing/Nueva Uncion, Perez Immigration and Tax Service, and Greater Houston Family Outreach, charged clients initial fees of $300-$400 per person for help with immigration visas, permanent residency, and work or travel permits for themselves or their relatives.
Victims soon found that they were subject to removal from the United States due to errors in the submission of the forms or because they were ineligible for permanent residence. Many consumers also lost hundreds of dollars in immigration filing fees.
One Houston man paid between $3,500 and $4,000 to Perez to fill out forms and provide other immigration services for him and his daughter.
"I trusted her because she was working out of an office in the church and I did not believe anything bad was going to happen because these things took place in a church," the man said in an affidavit. "Despite all of Yolanda Perez's promises and alleged expertise, I was subjected to deportation proceedings."
A Pasadena woman also lost approximately $3,100, claiming Perez's actions placed her and her daughter in danger of deportation.
"I complained to Yolanda Perez about these problems, but she claimed that she and her family were not responsible," the woman said in an affidavit. "She advised me that my best option would be to voluntarily leave the United States."
She added, "It is just not fair that this woman can continue to do this to so many people."
