ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO SHUTS DOWN SEVEN COMPANIES FOR PROVIDING FRAUDULENT LEGAL SERVICES TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES

NEW YORK, NY (August 17, 2010) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the latest actions in his ongoing effort to combat scams that target New York’s immigrant communities. As part of his broad investigation into immigration fraud, Cuomo has shut down seven companies and sued two other organizations for providing fraudulent legal services to immigrants.

The following seven companies and their owners have been permanently barred from operating any immigration services businesses and must collectively pay $370,000 in damages to the State of New York: (1) Centro Santa Ana, Inc. and Ana Lucia Baquero, in Queens; (2) Margo’s Immigration Services and Margarita Davidov a/k/a Margo Davidov, in Queens; (3) Miguel Fittipaldi, J.D., Ltd. and Miguel Fittipaldi, in Manhattan; (4) Arthur C. Hurwitz, in Manhattan; (5) Oficina Legal Para Hispanos, P.C. and Geoffrey S. Stewart, in Manhattan; (6) Asilos and Camilo Perdomo, in Queens; and (7) Mision Hispana, Inc. and Mayra Liz, in Queens.

The Attorney General began an investigation and issued subpoenas to these companies after receiving information that they were engaged in fraudulent and illegal business practices. The illegal conduct included, among other things, misrepresenting their authorization to submit documents on behalf of immigrants to the government and giving legal advice to immigrants. Further, some of these companies involved attorneys who aided others in the unauthorized practice of the law and simply lent their name to provide legitimacy to the business. Collectively, these companies abused hundreds of immigrants.

“These companies took money from immigrants by promising to provide services that they could not deliver,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “The fraudulent practices of these companies caused innocent people to face problems with their immigration status, even deportation. My office will continue to go after companies and individuals that defraud and abuse New York’s immigrant communities.”

As a result of the settlements with the Attorney General’s office, these companies are also required to notify all former and current clients in writing that they are no longer providing any immigration-related services and must submit quarterly reports to the Attorney General of any complaints from the public. Complainants may be eligible for restitution for using these fraudulent businesses.

The Attorney General’s office will coordinate with several New York legal associations to help handle the companies’ existing cases and to protect innocent victims.

LAWSUITS AGAINST OTHER FRAUDULENT IMMIGRATION SERVICES COMPANIES

In a separate action, Cuomo filed two lawsuits against other organizations that are providing fraudulent legal services to immigrants.

The first lawsuit is against four companies that have been illegally providing unauthorized legal services to immigrants. The lawsuits were filed today in New York State Supreme Court against: Inmigración Hoy, Inmigración Hoy News Today, Forensic Immigration Law, and Inmigración Accounting Service, which are all controlled by Edwin Rivera in the Bronx. These companies all offered legal counsel to immigrants without being licensed attorneys or having the proper accreditation. In thousands of cases across New York City and Long Island, these companies gave unlicensed legal advice and unlawfully filed immigration petitions with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services on behalf of immigrants and their families, jeopardizing their efforts to achieve legal status. Further, the companies failed to provide consumers with written contracts in both the consumer’s native language and English, as required by law.

Today the Attorney General also filed a lawsuit against Thomas N. Toscano, a lawyer in Queens who worked with non-lawyers to illegally provide legal services to immigrants. Toscano failed to supervise his non-attorney employees and allowed them to operate a law office out of their home where non-attorney employees met with clients on immigration cases. Toscano advertised as an immigration attorney but had cases handled by his non-attorney employees, who often provided legal advice. Clients never got an opportunity to discuss their cases with an actual attorney admitted to practice law, and many immigration applications were later denied by immigration authorities.

The lawsuits seek to permanently bar the companies and their owners from providing immigration-related services in the future and seek penalties for these actions.

Chung-Wha Hong, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said, “New York is celebrated throughout the world as a place of opportunity for all, and any company that lines its pockets by defrauding immigrants has no place in our city or our state. We applaud Attorney General Cuomo for his continued work to shut down fraudulent companies and stand up for New York’s immigrant communities.”

Jason Abrams, Chair of the Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law for the American Immigration Lawyers Association in New York, said, “Immigrants and their families can be subject to irreparable harm from unscrupulous individuals and fraudulent companies. The cost of this abuse is not just measured in dollars, but in torn families, stolen opportunities, and heartache. We are proud that Attorney General Cuomo is leading the way to shut down scams that prey on immigrants and we look forward to continuing to work with him to protect these vulnerable New Yorkers.”

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The illegal actions of fraudulent immigration services organizations have disastrous consequences on immigrant communities. In addition to being forced to pay substantial fees, victims and their families are put at risk of suffering permanent damage as a result of receiving incorrect immigration-related legal advice. Individuals who followed the advice of fraudulent organizations have been subject to deportation due to inadequate or negligent legal representation.

Under state and federal law, only lawyers or accredited representatives can represent individuals before immigration authorities. Under New York State law, it is unlawful to mislead or defraud any person in immigration-related services. New York law also requires anyone providing immigration services to comply with advertising, signage, and surety requirements, and to give consumers written contracts in both the consumer’s native language and English that detail their services and cancellation policy. Further, it is illegal for not-for-profit immigrant service providers to charge excessive fees for services; the services must be provided free of charge or at a very nominal rate.

Today’s action is the latest stage of Attorney General Cuomo’s ongoing efforts to protect immigrants and their families from being targeted by fraudulent immigration services in New York. Other actions include:

• In July 2010, the Attorney General obtained a judgment of over $6.25 million against Immigration Community Service Corporation and its owner Vincent I. Gonzalez of Manhattan for engaging in the unauthorized practice of the law and defrauding thousands of immigrants who used their services for filing immigration applications with the federal government.
• In June 2010, the Attorney General sued several organizations and their principals - Chay Pa Lou Community Center, Inc.; Delegue Tax Consultant, Inc.; Jean Michel; Rincher’s Bookstore a/k/a Rincher Associates, Inc. a/k/a Rincher Associates & Bookstore a/k/a Rincher’s Multi Services; Haitian American Entrepreneur’s Group, LLC a/k/a Delrin Associates, LLC; Deslande Rincher a/k/a Dislande Rincher; and Sharlene M. Seixas-Rincher - for defrauding Haitian nationals of thousands of dollars by illegally providing immigration services they were not authorized to provide and by misrepresenting a new law that granted special status to certain immigrants. These organizations targeted Haitian nationals who were recently affected by the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The cases are currently pending in the New York Supreme Court.
• In April 2010, the Attorney General shut down American Immigrants Federation for defrauding immigrants with false promises of citizenship, engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, and illegally charging exorbitant fees for services. The organization, its president Estela Figueredo, and its affiliates had to shut down all of their operations and pay $1.2 million for restitution to victims.
• In March 2010, the Attorney General obtained a $3 million court judgment against a Queens County individual, Miriam Hernandez, for defrauding immigrants by claiming that she could help them gain citizenship.
• In January 2010, the Attorney General sued and obtained a temporary restraining order against International Immigrants Foundation, International Professional Association, and their President Edward Juarez for engaging in fraud and the unauthorized practice of law. The case is currently pending in the New York State Supreme Court.
• In August 2009, the Attorney General shut down three companies - Immigration Solutions and Systems, Inc. and its owner Mary DiSerio of Manhattan; Alisandra Multiservices, Inc. and its owner Sandra A. Peguero of Brentwood, Long Island; and All Immigration Services and its owners Ruth A. Shalom and Isaac Shalom of Great Neck, Long Island - for providing unauthorized and fraudulent legal services to immigrant communities and required them to pay full restitution to all victims. The companies were required to pay more than $100,000 in penalties and were permanently prohibited from operating immigration services businesses.
• In August 2009, the Attorney General sued Professional Solutions Consultants (d/b/a Reliable Clerical Services and Reliable Immigration Services) and its owner Clover A. Perez, located in Queens, for providing unauthorized and fraudulent legal services to immigrant communities and is seeking injunctive relief, restitution, and penalties. The case is currently pending in the New York Supreme Court.

The cases are being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Sandra Abeles and Vilda Vera Mayuga and Assistant Deputy Counselor Elizabeth De León, with the assistance of Assistant Attorney General-in-Charge of the Harlem Regional Office Guy Mitchell and Investigators John McManus and Angel Laporte, under the supervision of Special Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights Alphonso B. David and Chief Counsel for Civil Rights Spencer Freedman.

If you have been a victim of immigration assistance fraud, please contact the Attorney General’s Immigration Services Fraud Unit Hotline at (866) 390-2992 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (866) 390-2992      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit www.ag.ny.gov.

Cure Cancer with Terri Organization Needs Your Help

Dear Sir or Madam,

I represent the organization Cure Cancer with Terri.  This organization was created to support Terri Malloy, who is battling cancer and is overwhelmed by all of the medical expenses associated with the treatments. 

Terri is a wife and mother of four teenage children.  Earlier this year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Terri was scheduled to have major surgery in mid-July, but insurance problems have delayed the surgery.  Terri’s insurance will only pay for a portion of the medical expenses; the remainder must be paid by Terri.  With cancer treatments costing tens of thousands of dollars, the medical bills are more than this family of six can manage.  Terri’s husband, Tom, is self-employed, so every trip to the doctor is a day without pay.

Our organization will be holding a benefit for Terri on August 21^st from 1pm – 5pm at Shanahan’s in Kings Park.  I would like your support in making our fund raising event a success.

If you have any questions regarding the organization, Terri, or any other information, please feel free to contact me.  My contact information is as follows:

Cure Cancer with Terri Attn: Celia Quinn 275 Lake Avenue St. James, NY  11780 absolutquinn@aol.com

Thank you in advance for your consideration in this matter.

Kind Regards,

Celia Quinn, Director of Fundraising

LI Fed & AFL-CIO Set to Endorse Congressman Bishop and Congressman Israel

The Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO will announce the AFL-CIO endorsement for Representatives Tim Bishop and Steve Israel at its 18th Constitutional Convention on Wednesday.  Both Long Island Congressmen will be on hand to address the Federation’s delegates in the Student Center’s Multi-Purpose Room.

John R. Durso, President of the Long Island Federation of Labor, cited the leadership of both Congressmen in getting our economy moving and creating jobs.  “Both Tim Bishop and Steve Israel have been creative in their sponsorship of legislation which will get our members back to work,” Durso said.

Congressmen Bishop and Israel have a record of fighting for middle class Americans.  Both supported extensions of unemployment compensation and jobs programs which will keep teachers in the classroom next fall.  Both members have shown strong support for rebuilding our infrastructure and increased investment for the development of green jobs on Long Island.

Ira Bernstein - Candidate NY State 2nd District Proposes "GPS tracking system to keep track of elected officials"

HELPING THE SCHOOLS WHILE KEEPING TAXES LOW

Ira Bernstein,candidate for the NY State 2nd District and member of the
Senior Advisory has a plan to keep our educational system strong and not
have our tax dollars leave the community. He believes in a mentoring program where seniors can be strong advocates of our youth for community service projects and school business alliances. He proposes a transparent system to see where our education dollars are spent including accountability of our lottery system. He has worked on grants for big cooperations such as Norththrop-Grumman and Keyspan. He does not believe in recycling past retired superintendents to other schools, would like a GPS tracking system to keep track of elected officials, and a less expensive staff budget to run an office in our senate district. Ira believes that the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center can be utilized as a beautification project through various grants without raising taxes to our residents. Ira is a former teacher in the Commack School District and is one of our own. His past work as a teacher and grant writer has his sights on using the Marion Carl Farm as a learning Center keeping our educational system strong by not having our tax dollars leave our community.

SUFFOLK COUNTY HEALTH CARE CORPORATION

Save “John J. Foley” appears on dozens of T Shirts, worn by the employees, family members, and residents of the 264 bed Skilled Nursing Care Facility located in Yaphank.  In the latest version of multiple prior efforts to sack the facility, and either close, sell it, or significantly downsize it, the Suffolk County Executive has brokered a sale of 14 acres of land and the 171,000 square foot state of the art health care center for about $15 million dollars net to the County.

In an effort to move in a different direction, State Senator Brian Foley has agreed to sponsor legislation in the New York state Senate that would allow for the creation of the Suffolk County Health Care Corporation (SCHCC), for the purpose of taking possession of Foley, as well as all of Suffolk’s network of outpatient primary care, mental health, and drug and alcohol abuse clinics and programs.  “The John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility provides an invaluable service for members of our community who cannot care for themselves,” said Senator Brian X. Foley (D - Blue Point).  “When my father and others first conceived of the idea of this particular facility, they had in mind that it would be a public facility that would provide the highest level of care possible.  I and others have remained steadfast in our fight to maintain it as a public entity dedicated to treating our sick residents.  We need to safeguard the mission of this facility by sponsoring legislation in the state senate that will create a public benefit corporation for the facility and allow it to continue to serve the public in the way it was intended to.  I ask the County Executive to withhold judgment until such time as the legislature undertakes a review of this viable alternative.”

Responding to a bi partisan request made by Presiding Officer Bill Lindsay and 12^th Legislative District legislator John M. Kennedy Jr., Senator Foley embraced the concept of revitalizing Suffolk County’s health care delivery system, at a time when more than 280,000 visits were delivered in 2008.  “Many of these patients are those most in need in Suffolk County, and rely upon our network of service delivery, including both the short term rehab, as well as the longer term residential care at John J. Foley” said Kennedy.  “We can achieve the County Executive’s stated goal of realizing much needed revenue for the 2011 operating budget, while keeping important public assets in public hands,” Kennedy said.

Many have said that Suffolk County’s health department is ill suited to operate this critical network of primary health care, because of its own inability to rapidly respond to today’s quickly changing health care environment.  We wholeheartedly agree, and point to the success with Nassau’s effort which has allowed A. Holly Patterson to move from red to black in a relatively short period of time.  We can achieve similar savings, and realize substantially increased rates of reimbursement for the gamut of services provided, while allowing staffs to more realistically mirror the compensation packages afforded to health care personnel throughout the rest of the region. In fact, some 160 of Foley’s 200 plus employees filed a petition agreeing to work rule concessions in an effort to keep the facility at the same high level of quality care it presently enjoys.  They realize that they must respond to the realities of economic hardships, while maintaining a work environment that allows our veterans, frail elderly, and those most in need with a dignified care delivery system, not one driven by phantom staff, absent management, and a radius of over 75 miles in which to ship those patients that don’t fit the prospective purchasers “economic profile.”

Both Stony Brook University Medical Center and Brookhaven Memorial Hospital have expressed an interest in establishing the critical collaborative operating Agreements with SCHCC.  They seek to partner with this business endeavor, making it a fiscally sound, operationally viable, cost savings method of care delivery.  By adding the balance of Suffolk’s clinics, we will enhance the eligibility for Federally Qualified Health Center status, and will reap multiple benefits, including important Federal Tort Claims Act protection, freeing the County from costly Medical Malpractice liability. 

Most importantly, this effort once and for all provides a viable alternative to the outright sale.  “We ask the County Executive to partner with the Legislature and Senator Foley’s office in working towards a more amicable, cost efficient, and tax payer friendly type of a solution regarding Suffolk County’s future role in the delivery of health care services.  The wasting of municipal assets is far from a fiscally conservative stance. Other governmental entities throughout the Country have collaborated under this model very successfully, and have improved the delivery of care.  We in government, working together, need to be able to do the same, not only for the more than 150,000 county Medicaid recipients, but for the thousands of uninsured throughout Suffolk.