Corruption struck again in Broward County as Jenny Hernandez, 51, of Parkland, entered a guilty plea today for her role in an immigration fraud scheme that bilked unsuspecting overseas individuals out of thousands of dollars.
Hernandez, who owned and operated the Immigration Form Center, Inc. (IFC) in Coral Springs, has been charged with four counts of visa fraud, each carrying a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The sentencing hearing for Hernandez is yet to be scheduled, according to U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick M. Hunt’s court docket.
Prosecutors revealed that Hernandez knowingly made false material statements on immigration documents, specifically Form I-140’s, Immigrant Petitions for Alien Workers. She claimed individuals from overseas would be employed at certain businesses as multinational executives or managers, when in reality these businesses had no knowledge of such arrangements and never made employment offers to the applicants.
The scam was lucrative for Hernandez, who pocketed between $14,200 to $50,900 from individual applicants. One particular applicant paid a staggering $64,000 for a position at Hernandez’s bakery, where the individual actually sold jewelry, not as a multinational executive or manager as claimed.
According to court records, Hernandez used the IFC in Coral Springs to complete and file these fraudulent petitions with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). She also filed applications for permanent residency using the false documents, depositing all payments into business checking accounts under her control.
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and thanked USCIS members for their assistance in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Katz is handling the prosecution of Hernandez. For more information, visit the District Court for the Southern District of Florida website or PACER.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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