Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Immigration Fraud

A Van Nuys man was sentenced Tuesday to 15 months in federal prison for “running a mill” with his wife to help illegal immigrants file bogus amnesty applications, prosecutors said.

Luis Pimentel, 36, was sentenced on three counts of immigration fraud by Judge Richard Gadbois in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Spurgeon E. Smith.

Pimentel and his wife, Lali, 43, were found guilty of immigration fraud by a federal jury in December. Lali Pimentel, who was convicted on nine fraud counts, was sentenced Jan. 27 to two years and three months in prison, Smith said.

The Pimentels operated the Immigration Law Center in Van Nuys on Van Nuys Boulevard until last June, Smith said. The couple charged illegal immigrants up to $3,000 each for help filing bogus applications with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, Smith said.

The couple helped clients draw up applications aimed at duping immigration officials into awarding legal status to illegal residents. The Pimentels also coached immigrants about what to tell INS officials and accompanied them to interviews, Smith said.