State: Jerusalem Haitian Community Center in E. Naples must shut down
By Daily News staff

Friday, November 9, 2007

An East Naples community center must shut down as part of an agreement with the state over concerns the center was improperly offering immigrants assistance in obtaining permanent residence in Canada.

Representatives with the Jerusalem Haitian Community Center were reportedly claiming they could assist immigrants with gaining entry into Canada and establishing legal residence, but the Florida Attorney General’s Office’s Economic Crimes Division determined that these assertions were flawed and potentially deceptive, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office announcing the settlement today.

The agreement requires the community center and its director, Jacques Sinjuste, to make full restitution within two years to anyone who paid a fee for the center’s services. The center must also dissolve within four months.

“While the state Attorney General’s Office cannot enforce federal immigration law in this case, my office can investigate potentially misleading or deceptive practices, and I believe this organization was engaging in questionable practices,â€