Rhode Island family charged with fraud scheme against immigrants
By News Staff
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A Woonsocket woman and her two daughters were charged Tuesday with federal wire fraud charges.
Patricia Zuniga, 53, Alba Pena, 24, and Idranis Rocheford, 27, were all charged with 8 separate counts of wire fraud. The three women were all in connection with a scheme to defraud immigrants of hundreds of thousands of dollars over several years.
Court documents show it is alleged that from 2010 to 2012 the three women targeted immigrant victims with no documentation so they could pose as employees of immigration authorities and offer services with rates as high as $8,000 – $14,000 to receive lawful immigration status.
Once the victims made payments the women would demand additional funds and threaten deportation if they didn’t pay.
Payments were initially made in cash but the family began to receive payments through cash deposits made directly into a designated bank account.
The charges provide a maximum sentence of no less than 20 years, 3 years of supervised release, and a 250,000 dollar fine.
© WLNE-TV 2015
