Feds Break Up Alleged Amnesty Scam
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, May 24, 2006




ATLANTA -- A clergyman and five others are accused of taking more than $200,000 from illegal immigrants in exchange for helping them gain amnesty by lying about when they entered the United States.


An indictment unsealed May 18 says the defendants held meetings related to the scam in Brockton, Mass.; Boca Raton, Fla.; and at least twice at a Marietta, Ga., church where one of them, Ruy Silva, was the pastor.


The indictment did not identify the church.

According to prosecutors, defendant Emma Gerald cast herself as an immigration consultant and charged illegal immigrants as much as $1,100 per couple for help falsifying applications under a program in which applicants could obtain temporary legal residence if they lived in the United States unlawfully during a certain period and met other requirements.




All six are charged with conspiracy to defraud.


Reached Tuesday at her Kennesaw home, Gerald said: "Whatever happens, I'm hoping to get it cleared up."


There was no immediate response to a call seeking comment from a lawyer for Silva.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/article ... shtml?s=lh


Can these people claim "......we just want to make a living!"?