Three relatives from South Los Angeles must repay more than $200,000 they took from dozens of immigrants in a years-long scam.
Judith Gil; her brother, Oscar Mauricio Gil; and her daughter, Minerva Gil, were sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years of probation and must pay their 73 victims almost $223,000, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
In addition, the convictions for various counts of grand theft, criminal conspiracy and extortion resulted in suspended prison sentences. They include seven years for Judith, five years for Oscar and three years for Minerva.
Between 2008 and 2021, the Gil family offered immigrants legal services for work permits and residency using the business FJA and Associates.
Despite taking nearly a quarter million dollars in total, the three failed to deliver on their promises.
“The trio filed invalid political asylum cases for the victims, resulting in the majority being unknowingly processed for deportation,” prosecutors said.
The Gils will be barred from offering any similar services “unless properly licensed and bonded,” the release added.
“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.”
To report similar schemes, call the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs at 213-974-1452.
