Woman sentenced to 10 years in immigration document scam
Holly V. Hays, Published 7:56 a.m. ET Aug. 18, 2017 | Updated 5:13 p.m. ET Aug. 18, 2017
A woman who pleaded guilty to more than a dozen counts of theft was sentenced to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry's office announced Thursday.
Judith Palma pleaded guilty to 17 felony counts of theft in connection to a scheme in which prosecutors alleged she stole down payments given to her by immigrants hoping to get green cards or other immigration documents, according to a news release.
In all, prosecutors alleged Palma stole more than $274,000 from 171 victims.
As part of the scam, Palma told her victims she had a contact named "Ms. Warner" who was an attorney in the Indianapolis Immigration Office, according to court documents.
Palma claimed that she could help undocumented individuals receive “papers,” or green cards, and various other immigration documents.
Palma allegedly required her victims to provide down payments to begin the process, and she gave them receipts that read, “Oficina de Immigración (Office of Immigration), Indianapolis, IN.”
“Judith Palma took advantage of some of the most vulnerable and naďve individuals in our community," Curry said in a statement. "Persons such as Palma who exploit a position of trust and target such vulnerable victims will be strenuously investigated and prosecuted."
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/c...cam/578547001/
