Illegal Aliens Ask for INS Help to Avoid Con Artists

About 100 illegal aliens, most of them alleged victims of a Riverside man accused of being a con artist, came to Immigration and Naturalization Service officials for help Tuesday.

Following the indictment last week of Erasmus Jerry Chavez, a 63-year-old immigration consultant accused of bilking 25 people seeking legalization of at least $13,000, INS officials and illegal aliens met to discuss immigration fraud at Santa Rosa DeLima Church in Huntington Park.

“It’s obvious to us that Chavez wasn’t a Lone Ranger,” INS Western Regional Commissioner Harold Ezell said. He urged the audience to apply for legalization amnesty through the INS and report other suspected con artists to the agency.

INS officials received two leads on suspicious consultants, some of whom typically charge exorbitant fees while claiming to help the aliens gain legalization. Ezell said Chavez may be only one of a number of con artists preying upon apprehensive aliens.

INS Special Agent Mike Miera, alleging that Chavez was by far the biggest offender, said a conservative estimate of the Riverside consultant’s clients list is 2,000, roughly double the original estimate.

Meeting organizer Angela Ochoa Macias, who said she was victimized by Chavez, claimed the consultant once boasted of having more than 80,000 clients.

In the indictment, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Chavez charged aliens $525 to apply for legalization, and exacted various fees afterward.

“He stole millions and we probably will never get that money back,” Macias said. “But we will make sure this will never happen again.”

Co-organizer Luis Aguirra, who said his family lost $1,575 to Chavez, said he hoped other aliens would trust the INS.

“I think we can trust them,” he said, “I paid $185 at the immigration office (for amnesty processing) and that was all. They’re really trying to help people.”

Trini Vergara, Macias’ niece, said that although some aliens are starting to trust the INS, many still remain leery.