Thread: Weird: Washington State Immigration Attorney Built Fraudulent Empire

Weird: Washington State Immigration Attorney Built Fraudulent Empire

By William Teach August 1, 2026 – 7:00 am

It’s almost like this whole thing brings about a ton of fraud, graft, and abuse

How the ‘Lawyer of Miracles’ built an immigration empire as former clients say their lives unraveled
When Nelson Sanchez left for work before sunrise last November, his children expected it would be another ordinary day. Instead, they got a phone call that changed everything.
Federal immigration agents had surrounded Sanchez’s truck during a traffic stop and taken him into custody. His daughter, Izzy Picazo, remembers feeling like she was a little girl again. (snip)
The work permit Sanchez had been relying on was connected to an immigration application stating he was a victim of domestic abuse, a claim his children say was completely false and made with Sanchez’s knowledge. They say the application had been prepared by the Tukwila immigration attorney they trusted to help him stay in the United States.
That attorney was Alexandra Lozano.

So, shady stuff

What began as one family’s search for answers has grown into a months-long KING 5 investigation uncovering allegations that stretch across Washington and beyond: former clients accusing Lozano of filing immigration applications they didn’t qualify for, state disciplinary records alleging professional misconduct, federal lawsuits, a growing list of alleged victims, multimillion-dollar real estate purchases, a hot pink private jet, and questions about how one of the country’s fastest-growing immigration law firms operated.
Today, the federal civil lawsuit against Lozano continues to expand. An amended complaint now includes 34 former clients, up from nine in the original filing, and seeks to recover luxury assets, including a private jet that plaintiffs allege were purchased with proceeds from the firm’s business. It alleges fraud, professional negligence, violations of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act and federal racketeering laws.
Lozano has previously denied wrongdoing through her attorneys, and the allegations in the lawsuit have not been proven in court.

It’s a very long, detailed article on everything above. The only thing missing is taking state and/or federal money to “help” the illegals

In Ohio, immigration attorney Angel Lisinski was sued by former clients who allege they, too, were pressured into filing abuse-based immigration applications they did not qualify for. The lawsuit alleges clients were steered toward VAWA petitions and T visas without understanding what those programs were or whether they were eligible.
The Ohio complaint goes a step further, alleging Lisinski adopted a high-volume business model developed by Lozano. Attorneys representing the Ohio plaintiffs allege Lozano trained other immigration lawyers around the country through seminars, books and consulting programs.

I’m guessing this fraud wouldn’t be going on if the illegals weren’t in the U.S. Oh, and hey, where were these illegals getting all that money?
Here in NC

Thousands of Haitians in NC face uncertainty as TPS protections expire
Fear and confusion are spreading through North Carolina’s Haitian community as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections expire for thousands of immigrants who have lived and worked in the United States for years.
Woodson Simon, who runs the Triad Haitian Community Association in High Point, said many families are worried about what comes next.
“They don’t know what’s coming for them. They don’t know what they’re going to do,” Simon said.

It’s simple: go home. If you didn’t understand what the T in TPS stood for, that is on you.

Weird: Washington State Immigration Attorney Built Fraudulent Empire » Pirate's Cove

Washington Immigration

How the 'Lawyer of Miracles' built an immigration empire as former clients say their lives unraveled

Former Tukwila attorney Alexandra Lozano is at the center of one of the largest legal scandals to hit Washington's immigrant community.
Author: Sharon Yoo
Published: 3:43 PM PDT July 31, 2026
Updated: 3:43 PM PDT July 31, 2026

TUKWILA, Wash. — When Nelson Sanchez left for work before sunrise last November, his children expected it would be another ordinary day. Instead, they got a phone call that changed everything.

Federal immigration agents had surrounded Sanchez's truck during a traffic stop and taken him into custody. His daughter, Izzy Picazo, remembers feeling like she was a little girl again.

"I've always been a daddy's girl," she told KING 5, her eyes immediately tearing up. "In that moment it felt like little me getting my dad ripped away from me."

The family soon learned something even more shocking.

The work permit Sanchez had been relying on was connected to an immigration application stating he was a victim of domestic abuse, a claim his children say was completely false and made with Sanchez's knowledge. They say the application had been prepared by the Tukwila immigration attorney they trusted to help him stay in the United States.

That attorney was Alexandra Lozano.

What began as one family's search for answers has grown into a months-long KING 5 investigation uncovering allegations that stretch across Washington and beyond: former clients accusing Lozano of filing immigration applications they didn't qualify for, state disciplinary records alleging professional misconduct, federal lawsuits, a growing list of alleged victims, multimillion-dollar real estate purchases, a hot pink private jet, and questions about how one of the country's fastest-growing immigration law firms operated.

Today, the federal civil lawsuit against Lozano continues to expand. An amended complaint now includes 34 former clients, up from nine in the original filing, and seeks to recover luxury assets, including a private jet that plaintiffs allege were purchased with proceeds from the firm's business. It alleges fraud, professional negligence, violations of Washington's Consumer Protection Act and federal racketeering laws.

Lozano has previously denied wrongdoing through her attorneys, and the allegations in the lawsuit have not been proven in court.

The 'Lawyer of Miracles' thousands trusted

For years, Lozano built a national brand around a simple promise: hope.

She called herself the "Lawyer of Miracles," filling Spanish-language social media with videos promising immigrants a path to legal status. Her marketing featured the Virgen de Guadalupe, one of the most revered religious symbols in Mexican culture and messages that resonated with families desperate for answers.

By 2024, her firm said it employed more than 750 people and had helped 80,000 immigrants over the course of a decade.

Many of the former clients KING 5 interviewed say that religious messaging is exactly what convinced them to hire her.

"It was the Virgin Mary," former client Gabriel Martinez Garcia said while holding his necklace with the Virgin's image.

Immigration program at the center of the controversy

Much of the litigation centers on a federal immigration law known as the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA.

Despite its name, VAWA protections are available to both men and women. The law allows certain immigrants who have suffered battery or extreme cruelty by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent or adult child to petition for legal status without relying on their abuser.

Another humanitarian program at the center of the allegations is the T-visa, which is available to victims of severe human trafficking.

These programs can provide a pathway to lawful immigration status for people who genuinely qualify.

Former clients and the attorneys suing Lozano allege those protections were instead marketed as a one-size-fits-all solution, even to people who did not qualify or did not understand what was being filed in their names. Lozano has denied those allegations.

Nelson Sanchez's family says they had no idea an abuse claim had been filed on his behalf. KING 5 reviewed a receipt showing Sanchez paid roughly $13,000 to Lozano's law firm.

After ICE arrested him in November 2025, his children rushed to learn why. When asked directly whether their father had ever been a victim of domestic violence, both siblings laughed.

"No," they answered in sync.

His family says the arrest threw months of uncertainty into their lives.

A growing pattern emerges

When Gabriel Martinez Garcia first met Lozano, he says he believed she would help him finish an immigration process that was already within reach.


Martinez Garcia had survived domestic abuse by a former spouse, a circumstance that can qualify someone for immigration protections under VAWA.

But he says he never fully understood what Lozano's office was filing on his behalf.

"She didn't explain to me what was VAWA," Martinez Garcia told KING 5. "She didn't explain the documents. I had to find my own way by Googling it."

His petition was later denied over issues involving electronic signatures on immigration paperwork, according to records reviewed by KING 5. Today, Martinez Garcia is in deportation proceedings and fears being separated from his two children.

"I was really scared," he said choking down tears. "I have two kids."

His attorneys, who are also representing others in a federal lawsuit filed against Lozano, argue Martinez Garcia's case represents something larger than a single paperwork mistake.

"I think that's the most tragic part," attorney Omar Barraza said. "A lot of these folks had options for obtaining some sort of status, and it's arguably destroyed now."

Martinez Garcia is now one of dozens of former clients included in a federal civil lawsuit accusing Lozano and others associated with her former law practice of operating a high-volume immigration business that steered clients into humanitarian immigration programs they either did not qualify for or did not understand.

Complaints predated the lawsuit

The allegations outlined in the lawsuit echo concerns that had already been raised with state regulators years earlier. KING 5 obtained complaint records filed with the Washington Attorney General's Office dating back to at least 2021.

In one complaint, a woman wrote that Lozano's office encouraged her husband to apply for VAWA "even though we never mentioned abuse or problems in our relationship."

A second complaint filed in 2024 alleged Lozano instructed a man to accuse his wife of abuse because it would make it easier to qualify for VAWA.

Another former client complained in 2025 that after paying thousands of dollars, no immigration paperwork had been filed on her behalf.

The attorney general complaints are separate from the civil lawsuit and do not represent findings of wrongdoing. Together, however, they describe allegations that span several years and mirror many of the claims now being litigated in federal court.

In a statement to KING 5, Lozano said she stands by her work and has helped thousands of immigrant families.

Hundreds of clients left searching for answers

With all the allegations coming to light, the Washington State Bar Association took action. In late May, Lozano resigned from the WSBA in lieu of discipline. A WSBA spokesperson said, "a resignation in lieu of discipline is an expeditious resolution of a lawyer discipline case with a uniquely severe consequence."

Lozano's resignation came after the Washington State Bar Association initiated disciplinary proceedings against her.

In documents obtained by KING 5, bar investigators outlined seven categories of alleged misconduct, including accusations that Lozano:

• Directed staff to communicate false or misleading information to clients
• Relied on non-lawyers to prepare legal documents
• Used clients' electronic signatures without adequate authorization or explanation
• Charged fees ranging from approximately $10,000 to $15,000 for applications investigators alleged many clients were not eligible to file

By resigning in lieu of discipline, Lozano permanently surrendered her Washington law license and cannot apply to practice law in the state again.

The disciplinary matter is separate from the federal civil lawsuit, and Lozano has denied wrongdoing.

However, by the time Lozano resigned from the Washington State Bar Association in late May, uncertainty had spread far beyond the courtroom.

Outside her Tukwila office, in the following days, former clients lined up hoping to retrieve their immigration files, ask questions about pending cases, or simply find out who, if anyone, was still representing them. The WSBA along with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a notice to former clients, saying the best course of action was to retrieve their files from Lozano's defunct firm and find a new lawyer.

Sara, a former client who asked KING 5 not to use her real name because of her immigration case, was among them. We met in early June.

"The lawyer I had, Alexandra Lozano, doesn't have her license anymore," she said. "I currently don't know what's going on with my case."

Sara says her immigration case is based on legitimate abuse she experienced. But after paying roughly $10,000 over several months, she now worries the controversy surrounding Lozano could jeopardize her chance of remaining in the United States.

"Because of the fraud, I don't know if my case is going to get denied or accepted," she said.

She wasn't alone.

Over multiple days, KING 5 watched dozens of former clients stream through the Tukwila office on Fort Dent Way, many hoping to recover paperwork they said they had spent years and thousands of dollars entrusting to Lozano's firm.

Others arrived only to discover the office had closed.

Sources later shared screenshots with KING 5 showing employees being notified during a Zoom meeting that the firm would cease operations. An email instructed staff to gather their belongings and leave. When KING 5 returned to the office, the doors were locked, the lights were off, and a sign on the entrance announced the business was permanently closed.

A ripple effect across the immigration community

The fallout quickly spread beyond Lozano's former clients. Immigration attorney Anna Teytslin, whose office is located in the same Tukwila building, said she watched a steady stream of former Lozano clients arrive looking for help.

"It's heartbreaking for the clients," Teytslin said.

She worries the controversy could also have unintended consequences for immigrants with legitimate humanitarian claims.

"When you have something like that unfold on such a huge scale, it impacts all of the other legitimate claims for VAWA," she said. "They are all being questioned."

For many families, starting over means hiring another attorney and paying legal fees a second time.

"It's very sad," Sara said. "I worked really hard for this money. My grandparents helped me pay for it. But if another lawyer asks me to pay again, I'm willing to do it because I've been fighting for this for so long."

The money trail

While many former clients say they were draining their savings to pay Lozano's legal fees, public records show the attorney was acquiring luxury real estate and traveling aboard a private jet.

KING 5 spent months reviewing property records, Federal Aviation Administration filings and corporate documents connected to Lozano and businesses associated with her.

Among the findings:

• A luxury condominium in downtown Seattle purchased for roughly $3.2 million
• A home in Covington purchased just months later
• Multiple properties held through trusts and limited liability companies
• A pink Bombardier Challenger 300 private jet that FAA records connect to entities associated with Lozano's business operations

KING 5 also tracked the aircraft's travel using publicly available flight records. The jet flew to destinations including Mexico, Florida, California and Nevada. Aviation records reviewed by KING 5 showed flights to Cabo San Lucas and several Florida cities during the spring of 2026.

As part of its investigation, KING 5 independently reviewed FAA registration records for the Challenger 300.

Those records show the aircraft was sold to Sueño Cumplido LLC before its registration was transferred to TVPX Aircraft Solutions, a company that acts as trustee for aircraft ownership. FAA records connect the aircraft to Sueño Cumplido LLC through that transaction.

The amended lawsuit now names Sueño Cumplido LLC among the defendants and alleges the company was used to hold assets associated with Lozano's law practice. Those allegations remain disputed and have not been tested in court.

When KING 5 showed former client Gabriel Martinez Garcia photographs of the aircraft, he struggled to find words.

"I was told by somebody about it," he said before pausing. "Wow."

Martinez Garcia says he paid Lozano approximately $15,000.

"Money doesn't grow on trees," he said. "We've got to work, sweat, wake up early in the morning. Sometimes we don't even see our kids until seven or nine at night."

The lawsuit grows

As KING 5 continued investigating Lozano's business holdings, the federal civil lawsuit against her also expanded dramatically.

An amended complaint filed in July increased the number of plaintiffs from nine to 34 former clients and added several new defendants, including companies and a trust that plaintiffs allege were used to acquire or hold assets connected to Lozano.

The amended lawsuit also seeks to impose a constructive trust over certain assets, including the private jet and luxury real estate and states the plaintiffs intend to ask the court for an injunction preventing those assets from being sold, transferred or moved while the litigation is pending.

Plaintiffs argue those assets were purchased with money generated through what they describe as a fraudulent business model.

A controversy that stretches beyond Washington

As the allegations against Lozano mounted in Washington, a strikingly similar lawsuit emerged more than 2,000 miles away.

In Ohio, immigration attorney Angel Lisinski was sued by former clients who allege they, too, were pressured into filing abuse-based immigration applications they did not qualify for. The lawsuit alleges clients were steered toward VAWA petitions and T visas without understanding what those programs were or whether they were eligible.

Lisinski has denied wrongdoing.

The Ohio complaint goes a step further, alleging Lisinski adopted a high-volume business model developed by Lozano. Attorneys representing the Ohio plaintiffs allege Lozano trained other immigration lawyers around the country through seminars, books and consulting programs.

"If you compare the allegations in our complaint to the allegations that came out of Washington," attorney Robert Anthony Alvarez told KING 5, "they're eerily similar."

Among the books marketed under Lozano's name are titles including "Be the CEO of Your Law Firm," "Ignite Your Practice with the T-Visa" and "Shameful Silence: What You Don't Know About Domestic Violence."

If proven, the allegations would suggest the practices now under scrutiny in Washington may have extended beyond a single law office.

The impact on immigrants who truly need help

Immigration advocates say the consequences extend well beyond the lawsuits.

Programs such as VAWA and T-visas were created by Congress to protect survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking -- people who often have few other options for remaining safely in the United States.

Malou Chavez, executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, worries the scrutiny surrounding thousands of applications connected to Lozano's former practice could make it harder for survivors with legitimate claims to be believed.

"The program itself is at risk," Chavez said. "The scrutiny that adjudicating officers are putting on those applications... especially for survivors of violence who truly have a claim."

Her organization has seen an influx of former Lozano clients seeking free legal help after the firm's collapse.

"Many community members paid thousands and thousands of dollars," Chavez said. "They can't afford private representation and are coming to organizations like ours."

For immigrants searching for legal representation, Chavez recommends asking detailed questions before signing a contract, requesting copies of every document filed on their behalf and regularly checking the status of their own immigration case.

What's next

The legal proceedings against Lozano continue to evolve.

The amended federal complaint now includes 34 plaintiffs and multiple companies and trusts connected to Lozano's business operations. Plaintiffs are seeking damages and asking the court to preserve certain assets, including a private jet and luxury real estate, while the litigation moves forward. The court has not ruled on those requests, and the allegations remain unproven.

Separately, Lozano has permanently surrendered her Washington law license, her former law practice has closed, and she has been suspended from practicing before the nation's immigration courts. She has previously denied wrongdoing and has said she helped thousands of immigrant families.

For families like the Picazos, however, the legal process is only beginning. Months after his arrest, Nelson Sanchez has been released from the detention center in Tacoma but remains in immigration proceedings.

His daughter says the family is taking each day as it comes.

"He's taking it day by day," Izzy Picazo said. "He's just trying to make it through his days."

Many nonprofits are hosting pop-up clinics for former clients of Lozano. Those clinics, while not official legal advice, can help former clients change their address on file with USCIS via filling out a form called AR-11. Many of the clinics are free. You can find a list of the latest clinics at ayudavictimaslozano.org.

Former clients interested in possibly getting involved in the federal civil lawsuit can explore the website lozanocivilaction.com. There, you can express interest in your involvement by filling out a form that attorneys will screen. Filling out the form does not automatically guarantee inclusion in the civil lawsuit.

How the 'Lawyer of Miracles' built an immigration empire as former clients say their lives unraveled | king5.com