San Jose consultant charged with taking money from clients
SAN JOSE >> A San Jose-based immigration consultant has been charged with theft for allegedly taking thousands of dollars from clients but not filing the applications they requested, authorities said.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation in July after a husband and wife reported paying the consultant, a 36-year-old woman, about $5,000 to complete a citizenship and visa application.
Over the course of four years, the consultant told the clients she had submitted the application to United States Citizenship Immigration Services, but detectives confirmed she kept their money and did not submit the application, said Deputy Russell Davis in a news release Monday.
“As a result, the victims were unable to visit their home country to visit dying relatives,” Davis said.
During the investigation, another client also reported paying the consultant about $1,000 for a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, application. Davis said the consultant did not submit the application or return the client’s money, which resulted in the client losing a scholarship and an opportunity to attend a trade school.
Detectives interviewed the consultant at her office on the 1600 block of Story Road in San Jose. They determined that no applications were filed and found no accounting for the financial transactions, Davis said. The consultant claimed to be a state-bonded immigration consultant, Davis added, but records showed she was not authorized to perform immigration services and was issued a cease-and-desist letter by the state in 2018.
Davis said the victims are now working with immigration attorneys to obtain their citizenship.
The consultant is facing charges related to grand theft, theft by false pretenses and violations of the Immigration Consultant Act, Davis said. On Nov. 13, she turned herself in to a bail bondsperson. She will appear in court Jan. 11, according to online court records.
Victims of illegitimate immigration service providers can contact the Sheriff’s Office at 408-808-4599.