J’cans Among Victims Defrauded by Fake Immigration Attorney in US
A news release by The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) has revealed that a south New Jersey man has been charged for operating a fake immigration law practice for years, defrauding at least 74 victims, including Jamaicans and Caribbean immigrants.
According to ICE Leaford George Cameron is facing mail fraud, wire fraud and false statement charges for the alleged fraudulent scheme.
The 62 year-old-man, allegedly operated his fake law practices out of his home in Burlington, New Jersey. The indictment alleges that from 2003 through 2015, Cameron operated the practice, where he pretended to be a lawyer in order to defraud the victim “clients” who paid him for what they believed was legitimate legal representation. His victims were residents of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Jamaica and India.
“The longevity of Cameron’s alleged fraud, the amount of victims already identified, and far reaching impact in this case is staggering,” said John P Kelleghan, special agent in charge for HSI Philadelphia. “HSI will continue to investigate and seek out those who may have fallen prey to this alleged imposter’s scheme. We encourage anyone with any contact with this person to contact us right away.”
ICE also stated that Cameron operated a fake law firm, appeared and spoke in court as the lawyer representing his victims, and filed various legal motions and forms in his victims’ cases in which he indicated – often under the penalty of perjury – that he was an attorney licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
According to ICE if convicted of all charges, Cameron faces a statutory maximum sentence of 75 years in prison, up to US$1.5 million in fines, three years of supervised release, and a US$600 special assessment.
