Three South Los Angeles relatives have been charged with scamming dozens of immigrants by unlawfully providing legal services for residency or work permits, LA County District Attorney George Gascón announced Friday.
"The immigrant community should not be preyed upon and swindled out of their money from unscrupulous scammers," Gascón said in a statement released Friday morning.
Gascón's office said Oscar Mauricio Gil, 63, was charged with 19 felony counts of grand theft and three counts of conspiracy to commit a crime.
His sister, Judith Gil, 67, was charged with 31 counts of felony grand theft, three counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and one count of extortion.
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Gil's daughter, Minerva Gil, 39, was charged with 22 felony counts of grand theft and three counts of conspiracy to commit a crime.
They were scheduled to be arraigned Friday at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
According to Gascón's office, between Jan. 1, 2008, and June 2021, the defendants worked under the business name FJA and Associates based from their home, from which they allegedly conspired to illegally provide immigration services.
Gascón's office alleges the three filed invalid political asylum cases for the victims — resulting in the majority being unknowingly processed for deportation.
The alleged scam netted $101,128 from 38 victims, according to Gascón's announcement.
The case remains under investigation by the District Attorney's Notario Fraud Unit, Consumer Protection Division and the L.A County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.
A hotline has been set up by the DCBA to report complaints. The number is 213-974-1452.
