11 Accused of Immigration Fraud in Area Crackdown

Los Angeles County law enforcement officials have charged 11 people in an immigration fraud sweep, including a community relations coordinator for the Glendale Police Department, authorities announced Tuesday.

Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley disclosed the arrests at a news conference organized to publicize an expected upsurge of immigration fraud over the next few weeks.

Immigrants have until April 30 to apply to take advantage of a new law, passed in the waning days of the Clinton administration, that features a host of measures to help immigrants and their loved ones obtain legal status.

Cooley said not all immigrants are eligible for residency under the law and that con artists who falsely claim they are attorneys or legally bonded consultants are taking advantage by making promises they can’t keep to people desperate to stay in the United States.

“This is not a new amnesty program, although the fraud artists are calling it that to bilk immigrants out of their money,” Cooley said. “Those who hope to apply and go to one of these crooks who make them empty promises while taking a victim’s money face the possibility of deportation and the long process of trying to get back into the United States and establish residency.”

In recent days, Cooley said, his office has charged two men with felonies and nine people with misdemeanors.

In one felony case, Ramiro A. Lopez is charged with five counts of grand theft and other crimes for allegedly stealing $20,000 from one family and $7,300 from another. He promised to help the victims with immigration matters but instead just took their money, Cooley said.

In the second felony case, Alberto Perez is accused of failing to have a restitution bond on file with the secretary of state as required by law. This is the second time Perez has been charged with the same offense, elevating the crime from a misdemeanor. Before going into business, immigration consultants are required to post a $50,000 bond with the California secretary of state’s office.

One of the misdemeanor cases involved Chahe Kueroghelian, who worked as a civilian community relations coordinator and filled in when needed as a public information officer for the Glendale Police Department.

Kueroghelian, who has been on paid leave since August, when the investigation began, is charged with 22 misdemeanor counts including failing to obtain a bond, failing to disclose that he is not an attorney and other requirements under the Immigration Consultants Act.

Sgt. Rick Young, a Glendale police spokesman, said his department plans to make a final determination about Kueroghelian’s status with the agency soon.

“Now, with the finish of the D.A.’s investigation, we will have facts to complete our administrative investigation,” Young said.

Cooley was joined at the news conference by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, Pastor Herrera Jr., director of the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs, and heads of minority bar associations from the Asian and Latino communities.