Jessica Marie Rubio, Defrauding Immigrants Seeking Legal Status, Michigan 2024

A West Michigan woman has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for defrauding immigrants seeking legal status by posing as a Department of Homeland Security attorney, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Jessica Marie Rubio, 32, of Holland, Michigan, was sentenced in Grand Rapids today by U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff for defrauding immigrants without legal status in the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1349 and 1343.

Rubio was ordered to pay $273,755 in restitution to 91 victims in Michigan, Texas, South Carolina, and Alabama. The court also imposed a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $105,245.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Rubio solicited people who did not have legal status in the United States by assuming the identity of a Department of Homeland Security attorney and promised to prepare and expedite the immigration application process for them.

Rubio demanded payment for her services, purported to be legitimate fees, but never submitted those forms on her clients' behalf. At least 91 victims fell victim to this scheme, with a total loss amount calculated at $273,755 at the time of sentencing.

Rubio was a fugitive between March 26, 2019, and December 13, 2019, when a U.S. Marshal Service Fugitive Task Force investigation located Rubio and returned her to face trial.

Maintaining the integrity of our nation's immigration system remains one of the top priorities for the DHS Office of Inspector General. The agency has zero tolerance for those who prey upon the vulnerable who simply desire to become U.S. citizens.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmi/pr/2020_1102_Rubio