Daily Lawsuit News

Immigration Marriage Fraud Nabs 80 In FBI Sting

Imagine this: A beautiful wedding with cake, flowers, photos and guests provided by a company that sets everything up for you. Now, imagine it’s all part of an elaborate immigration fraud ring. This is the case in an FBI sting operation that nailed over 80 people in Florida.

Four companies specializing in international matchmaking and marriages were followed closely by the FBI and eventually busted. The companies included All Kind Services, A-3 Services, American Solutions & Services and Power of Attorney.

The company would receive $10,000 USD and offer US citizens $2,500 to serve as either a bride or groom. The company would then coach immigrants and citizens on how to pass the immigration questions, all leading to eventual green cards for residency based on a total fraud.

What’s laughable is that there was even a fake wedding cake made of cardboard and silicone to help perpetuate the fraud of marriage. More arrests are expected in this case, and lawsuits from the American citizens involved in this scam could start cropping up any day now.

“What we’ve seen in the past generally is that a person will meet someone, that person might be desperate for some money, willingly engage in a sham marriage and then they go their own ways,” O’Neill said. “Here, you can see this was much more sophisticated. They incorporated businesses, they obviously sought out people, people came in.”

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/09/marriage.fraud.ap/

Source: CNN.com

Posted in Fraud, Immigration Fraud | No Comments »

Choice Hotels Denies Liability in Forced Labor Lawsuit

South Dakota Comfort Inn owners Robert and Angelina Farrell were convicted of 22 mixed counts of forced labor and peonage, or forced working in an unfair labor market. Now, it appears that Choice Hotels, the owners of Comfort Inn’s franchise, may be also at fault for not having more stringent guidelines and managing their hotel owners more closely.

Four Filipino workers have filed a civil lawsuit against Choice Hotels and the Farrells personally claiming unspecified damages for their suffering at the hands of the Comfort Inn owners. Choice Hotels denies any wrongdoing or liability involved in this case. As good franchisees, however, the Farrells have requested that the civil lawsuit against the parent company be dropped and only they be named as defendants.

In addition to these legal labor issues, the Farrells also were convicted of visa fraud and false statements. Settlement may be imminent, but the fact that a labor lawsuit of this magnitude occurs in this day and age is shameful, at best.

http://wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=8269089

Source: WKBT, LaCrosse

Posted in Civil Lawsuits, Immigration Fraud | 3 Comments »