Thirteen Foreign Nationals Indicted in Florida Immigration Fraud Case Involving Fake Legal Services and Sham Marriages
Orlando, in Orange County, Florida, was the scene on November 2 of a federal immigration fraud announcement: thirteen foreign nationals from Brazil and Cuba have been indicted for their alleged roles in a conspiracy that used a company posing as an immigration law practice to falsify immigration documents and arrange sham marriages to fraudulently obtain immigration status and benefits for clients.
United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement in Orlando. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published the announcement and provided valuable support to the investigation.
According to court records, from August 18, 2023, through April 20, 2026, Vagner Sorares De Almeida, 54, owned and operated a Florida company called Legacy Imigra Solutions LLC. Legacy falsely purported to be a professional establishment employed by immigration experts and attorneys who could assist individuals with immigration-related legal work. As part of the conspiracy, Legacy gave false, inaccurate and incomplete legal and immigration advice to prospective clients to induce them to retain its services, and falsified immigration documents to fraudulently obtain immigration status and benefits for clients.
The indictment divides the 13 defendants into three groups. De Almeida, Juliana Colucci, 47, Lucas Felipe Trindade Silva, 34, and Ronaldo De Campos, 35, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, four counts of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and one count of unlawful employment of aliens. Erick Bruno Goncalves De Assis Pinto, 34, Nathalia Da Costa Ferreira, 43, Nathalia Gomes Ciriaco, 29, and Kelen Cristina Da Silva, 37, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and four counts of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Issac Antonio Narvaez, 69, is charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, while Ronay Castillo Salazar, 51, Rebeca Aldama Garcia, 40, Mijail Cabera Nunez, 52, and Lorraine Soares Oliverira, 32, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.
Court records also allege that Legacy regularly hired foreign nationals knowing they were unauthorized for employment in the United States, and that De Almeida, Colucci and five others conspired to commit marriage fraud.
If convicted, each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Each conspiracy to commit visa fraud offense is punishable by up to 10 years, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud by up to 5 years, and unlawful employment of aliens by up to 6 months. An indictment is merely a formal charge, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations offices in Orlando, Tampa and Brasilia and its Enforcement and Removal Operations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Department of Labor and Department of Agriculture Offices of Inspector General, USCIS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bianca Bansal.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Orlando 的 Orange County 法院大楼。Michael Rivera 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
