Barbara Branks, the owner of a Clearwater immigration services business, was indicted last week on federal charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Federal prosecutors in Tampa allege she conspired to prepare fraudulent applications for asylum and forged documents supporting the applications.

Branks owns and operates La Gringa Professional Immigration Services in Clearwater. The indictment alleges that she prepared false applications and documents in almost 20 cases, from 2006 to 2009.

To qualify for asylum, an immigrant has to prove he has been persecuted or has a well-founded fear of persecution in his home country based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. He has to prove either that his home country was the persecutor or is unable to control the persecutor.

According to prosecutors, Branks (and/or her co-conspirators) prepared false medical letters, political party affiliation letters and proof of employment letters. She is also accused of coaching clients about what to say about their asylum applications in interviews and court testimony so that their statements would line up with their falsified documents.

A former employee of Branks’s business, Daniela Maria Aizpurua, was charged this month with marriage fraud. The complaint alleges she fraudulently married an American citizen so she could remain in the country.

Aizpurua worked at La Gringa from 2005 until this past June, when a federal search warrant was executed at the business. She and her husband were married in October 2005 by Branks, who is also a notary public.

According to prosecutors though, Aizpurua and her husband never lived together, his family was unaware of the marriage, he did not know his wife’s parents’ names and he had a girlfriend. He has also been charged with marriage fraud.

Government Fraud

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 9:19 am and is filed under Florida Criminal Law News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.