Richard A. Murdoch, Immigration Fraud, Florida 2023

Florida Man and Two U.K. Nationals Plead Guilty in Immigration Scam

A Florida man and two U.K. nationals pleaded guilty to immigration fraud charges for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently procure visas from the U.S. Embassy in London through a Florida property development company called Royal Development. The guilty pleas were announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Robert E. O’Neill of the Middle District of Florida.

The defendants, Richard A. Murdoch, 54, of Florida, Hugh Morgan, 68, a U.K. national residing in Ontario, Canada, and Christopher A. Barrett, 49, a U.K. national residing in Florida, were charged in connection with a scheme to defraud foreign nationals of millions of dollars. The scheme involved selling Florida-based home construction companies to foreign nationals, who were promised that the purchase would enable them to qualify for and obtain either a treaty investor (E-2) visa or intracompany transferee (L-1A) visa.

According to court documents, the conspirators required a payment of between $65,000 to $165,000 for the purchase of the company and the visa services. During the course of this conspiracy, Royal Development obtained over $2.4 million from the U.K. investors. Murdoch and Barrett pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit immigration fraud, while Morgan pleaded guilty to the same charge in a separate but related case involving immigration benefit applications submitted to U.S. immigration authorities.

Murdoch faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for visa fraud and five years for tax evasion, while Morgan faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each conspiracy charge. Barrett faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit immigration fraud. Each defendant is also subject to a maximum fine of $250,000 for each charge.

The scheme came to light after an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation Division, and the Diplomatic Security Service. The investigation revealed that the defendants had used the scheme to defraud multiple foreign nationals, including a U.K. national named Michael J. Leggett, who previously pleaded guilty to two counts of immigration fraud in relation to Royal Development and his own immigration benefit applications.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2011. Murdoch and Barrett pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David A. Baker, while Morgan pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory J. Kelly. The guilty pleas mark a significant victory for law enforcement in their efforts to combat immigration fraud and protect vulnerable foreign nationals.

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