Teresa Nora Martinez, a self-proclaimed licensed immigration attorney, was arrested and charged with one count of Scheming to Defraud, two counts of Grand Larceny, one count of Petite Larceny, and three counts of practicing or appearing as Attorney-at-Law without Being Admitted and Registered, for stealing $12,000 from immigrants while purporting to provide immigration legal services.
Between November 2008 and April 2009, Martinez allegedly defrauded three Mexican immigrants seeking to change their immigration status by claiming herself as a New York State licensed immigration attorney and promising them to get them permanent residence approvals with the USCIS. Martinez purportedly received a total of $12,000 for legal services she had never provided or will provide.
If convicted on multiple counts, Martinez faces more than 8 years of imprisonment.
