Loading ...Clearwater Woman Sentenced to Prison for Immigration Fraud
Barbara Branks, owner of La Gringa Professional Immigration Services in Clearwater, was sentenced this week to nearly five years in federal prison for filing false asylum applications with United States customs agencies. She was also ordered to forfeit about $816,000 in profits from the fraudulent filings.
Branks was indicted last September and pleaded guilty in November to filing 274 fraudulent asylum petitions. After a pre-sentence investigation, Branks appeared for sentencing. The judge sentenced her to four years and nine months in federal prison.
Under federal law, asylum in the United States is offered for citizens of foreign countries who fear or have experienced government-sponsored or -abided persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Filing an application for asylum is free.
The requirements for asylum to be granted, however, are very strict. Services such as those offered at La Gringa in Clearwater help immigrants muddle their way through the various immigration requirements and assist them in completing and filing all necessary paperwork.
Beginning in 2001, Branks included false information in her clients’ asylum applications to make it appear they were being persecuted, according to law enforcement. They claimed that Branks created stories of persecution to ensure approval of claims.
According to prosecutors, Branks prepared false medical letters, political party affiliation letters and proof of employment letters. She was 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.
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