October 17, 2024: Three Relatives Sentenced for Bilking $222,793 From Dozens of Victims for Fraudulent Immigration Services in L. A.

Judith Gil, Oscar Mauricio Gil, and Minerva Gil were sentenced for defrauding
73 victims out of a total of $222,793 between 2008 and 2021

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón today announced that three members of a South Los Angeles family-Judith Gil, Oscar Mauricio Gil and Minerva Gil-were sentenced October 15 for scamming 73 immigrants by unlawfully providing legal services for residency or work permits. The trio was sentenced by Judge Drew E. Edwards to pay total restitution of $222,793 to the victims in addition to 10 years of probation.

"Our immigrant communities deserve reliable, credible services to enter the pathway to legally obtaining residency and citizenship, but instead the Gil family preyed on innocent Angelenos by not only stealing their money and livelihoods, but robbing them of the American Dream. Unwitting victims were paying thousands of dollars to seek a path to legal residency, and instead the Gil family provided fraudulent legal services that resulted in deportations," District Attorney Gascón said. "These sentences ensure that ill-gotten gains are returned to their victims and a message has been sent out to fraudsters that we will not tolerate their illegal operations. I want to extend my gratitude to our office's Economic Justice Unit and Deputy-in-Charge Ryann Gerber Jorban for ensuring that these individuals were held accountable."

Judith Gil pled guilty to four counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, three counts of grand theft, and one count of extortion, and was sentenced to 10 years' probation with seven years state prison in local custody suspended.

Oscar Mauricio Gil, Judith's brother, pled guilty to four counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and was sentenced to 10 years' probation with five years state prison in local custody suspended.

Minerva Gil, Judith's daughter, pled guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and one count of grand theft, and was sentenced to 10 years' probation with three years state prison in local custody suspended.

All three defendants are prohibited from having contact with any of the 73 victims and from providing any legal, tax, or other professional services unless properly licensed and bonded.

Between January 1, 2008, and June 2021, the defendants stole a total of $222,793 from 73 victims and conspired to illegally provide immigration services under the business name FJA and Associates. The trio filed invalid political asylum cases for the victims, resulting in the majority being unknowingly processed for deportation.

The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Economic Justice and Notario Fraud Unit, Consumer Protection Division and the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.

To report similar crimes or complaints, call the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs hotline at (213) 974-1452.

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