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Fake immigration judges, lawyers and court officers, but real fraud charges in NY
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Feb 24, 2026
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By
Arun Venugopal
Published Feb 24, 2026
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An audacious scheme to dupe vulnerable immigrants, as alleged in new court filings in Brooklyn federal court, should serve as a wake-up call for New York’s immigrant communities, the leader of a Queens-based immigrant rights organization said Tuesday.
The elaborate ruse, which featured sham immigration proceedings, duped an untold number of “vulnerable” immigrants into handing over more than $100,000 to defendants posing as lawyers, judges, and other federal officials, according to prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.
The operation, which ran for over two years, recently came to a head, with the unsealing of indictments against five Colombian nationals, according to prosecutors. Three defendants were arrested last week while trying to board a flight to Colombia at Newark Liberty International Airport. A fourth defendant was arrested at a restaurant in New Jersey, while a fifth defendant remains at large, according to prosecutors.
The defendants, who were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and aiding and abetting the impersonation of a federal official, included Daniela Alejandra Sanchez Ramirez, Jhoan Sebastian Sanchez Ramirez, Alexandra Patricia Sanchez Ramirez and Marlyn Yulitza Salazar Pineda, all of whom entered pleas of not guilty.
Hildalyn Colon, the chief operations and strategic officer at New Immigrant Community Empowerment in Jackson Heights, Queens, said the problem of fraud thrives in conditions of fear within immigrant communities and could be combated with more public awareness.
“ Usually, immigrants are not going to come forward. They're afraid to come forward,” Colon said.
“Let's talk about how we can prevent it.”
Both state and federal prosecutors have previously announced operations targeting fraudsters posing as immigration lawyers or otherwise promising to deliver services they were unauthorized or unable to provide. But the fraud alleged in the new indictments were elaborate by recent standards.
According to the federal prosecutors, the alleged fraud featured fictitious videoconferences that seemed to include all the trappings of an immigration court: judges dressed in judicial robes, immigration enforcement officers, lawyers, government seals, court documents, and scenery that resembled courtrooms and government offices.
Attorneys representing the defendants did not immediately respond to questions about the case.
In addition to featuring fake judges in robes, the defendants also conducted bogus asylum interviews featuring fake agents in law enforcement uniforms. The elaborate sets also included official-looking government seals and U.S. flags.
“While legitimate immigration proceedings are conducted entirely in English, the participants in the scheme spoke in Spanish to lull the victims into a false sense of security,” stated a letter from Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District, to U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg.
Nocella called the alleged scheme “elaborate and outrageous” in a statement and said the defendants had “undermined the integrity” of the immigration system.
“The defendants brazenly stole their victims’ money and deceived them by sending fictious [sic] documents and holding sham court proceedings,” Nocella said.
In one instance, prosecutors said a victim missed their actual appearance in immigration court, resulting in their receiving a deportation order unknowingly.
Nocella wrote that “the defendants demonstrated a complete and utter disregard for the potentially life-altering consequences that their actions inflicted on their victims.”
The American Bar Association documented more than a dozen examples nationwide of individuals impersonating ABA attorneys and blamed the phenomenon in part on federal immigration enforcement.
“The increase in fraud cases is attributed to rising enforcement actions and bad actors seeking to take advantage of immigrant communities seeking legal assistance,” the ABA said in November. “The use of more sophisticated technology also has contributed to the growing number of fraud cases, particularly among noncitizens.”
Tagged
Politics
Race And Justice Unit
immigration
new jersey
new york
Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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