Victory in Texas: Judgment and Injunction Against Gang of Immigration Swindlers

Austin immigration attorney Paul Parsons writes:

"The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the (Texas) Attorney General has recently obtained the attached Final Judgment & Permanent Injunction against a gang of immigration swindlers here in Austin.   These crooks had incorporated under the name Just for People and had even filed a dba as "Lead God."

This action was filed under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.   The Final Order & Permanent Injunction includes the following monetary penalties:

$480,000  civil penalties;
$234,766  attorney fees;
$11,007    costs; and
$195,325  restitution.

I estimate that the total amounts swindled by Gabriela Paneque and her gang far exceeded $1 million.  I have tried to convince federal prosecutors and Travis County prosecutors that this woman and her co-co-conspirators should be indicted, prosecuted, and incarcerated for fraud, extortion, theft and similar crimes but so far to no avail.  You will see in this document that one of these swindlers wore his U.S. military uniform in order to deceive aspiring immigrants and their relatives into believing that he had arrived from Washington, D.C. to "help" this unlawful business with immigration cases.

As is far too common, these crooks operated far too long.    Incredible hardships are inflicted on those least able to lose their hard earned savings and dreams when "immigration consultants" claim to be able to provide legal advice and representation.

We need to be ever vigilant and work with all interested agencies and authorities to promptly stop this type of fraudulent conduct.   Anyone in a position to convince prosecutors to indict these particular swindlers should do so as soon as possible."