Edwin Zavala Jr, Wire Fraud, LA 2024

GRIMY TIMES – LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA: A local conman has been locked up for 12 months after duping families of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees out of their hard-earned money. Edwin Zavala Jr., 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter on one count of wire fraud.

According to the grimy details, Zavala’s scheme ran from November 2014 to February 2016, during which time he operated a fraudulent company called United Immigration Consulting, later rebranded as National Immigration Services. He targeted ICE detainees by mailing false promises of legal representation and immigration assistance to their families.

Victims would pay Zavala in exchange for his supposed help with deportation hearings, work permits, and getting out of detention. But once the money was received, Zavala vanished without providing any of the promised services, leaving ICE detainees at risk of being deported.

The investigation into Zavala’s deceitful operation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph leading the prosecution.

In addition to his 12-month sentence, Zavala has been ordered to pay $23,050 in restitution to his victims and is subject to three years of supervised release upon his release from prison.

For those who fell prey to Zavala’s scam, the sentence serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of unscrupulous individuals preying on vulnerable populations. The community can rest easier knowing that justice has been served for these exploited families.