Lawyer accused in visas for burial plots scheme

The Associated Press
12:00 p.m. October 16, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Authorities have charged a Southern California immigration lawyer and two associates with seeking fraudulent work visas for foreigners and using the profits to buy cemetery plots.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Friday the group is charged in Los Angeles with visa fraud for filing the petitions for about 100 foreigners.

Authorities say Attorney Kelly Einstein Darwin Giles, Joseph Wai-man Wu and his wife May Yin-man Wu charged between $6,000 and $50,000 to apply for the visas and spent much of the proceeds on burial plots.

Many of the petitions were for H-1B visas, which are reserved for foreigners with specialized skills. Authorities say the immigrants named in the applications never worked for the defendants.

A receptionist at Giles' offices declined comment.

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