Man Accused of Fraud in Document Sale to Aliens

SAN DIEGO —  In what officials believe is the first case in the nation involving the sale of phony documents to skirt the new federal immigration law, the U.S. attorney’s office here announced the arrest Friday of a Chula Vista immigration consultant accused of fraud.

William Givens, 41, was charged with conspiring with three illegal immigrants to make false statements to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. The charge alleges that, for $3,000, he provided them with phony rental receipts indicating that they had been in the United States since before 1982.

Under the new immigration law, aliens can apply for permanent residence under a one-time amnesty if they can prove to the INS that they have been living in the country since before Jan. 1, 1982, and have been law-abiding residents.

“It was anticipated by Congress that some people were going to attempt to profit from the new amnesty law,” U.S. Atty. Peter K. Nunez said at a press conference Friday. He said federal officials are also looking for the three aliens involved in the case.

Immigration officials have cautioned illegal aliens who qualify under the amnesty provisions not to be taken in by immigration consultants who might take advantage of them by charging exorbitant fees.

They plan to distribute lists of authentic consulting firms who can legitimately help aliens determine whether they qualify, Nunez said. Applications for temporary residence will be accepted beginning May 5, and applications for permanent residence may be made 18 months after gaining temporary status.

Nunez said Jorge Madrazo, Rosaura Medecigo de Madrazo and Esther Guerrero presented INS officials a few weeks ago with the fraudulent documents, mostly rental receipts indicating that they had been living in the United States before 1982.

“That’s when they detected something suspicious,” said Clifton J. Rogers, the INS deputy district director in San Diego. He said the workers’ stories did not jibe with the documents.