East NY Man Charged With Defrauding New Yorkers Who Needed Immigration Assistance

EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN — An East New York man was charged on Wednesday for scamming three people who needed help with their family members' immigration status out of $5,000 total, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office announced.

Israel Torres, 57, in April 2015 allegedly told a woman with an undocumented husband that he could help get the husband a green card in exchange for $3,200, which she paid him in cash, according to the investigation. Torres didn't give her a receipt, and her husband never got his legal permanent residency, the investigation found.

Also in April 2015, according to the investigation, Torres allegedly met another woman whom he told that he was an employee of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and worked at 26 Federal Plaza. The woman told Torres that she had her green card but wanted help getting her U.S. citizenship, so Torres said he could help her expedite the process and help her with paperwork for $1,000 in cash. He gave her no receipt, and she, too, never received her citizenship, according to the investigation.

Investigators also found another incident in March 2015 in which Torres charged another woman $800 to bring her relative to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. Torres gave her a receipt, but he never gave her relative citizenship. He only gave her $300 back after she repeatedly asked for all of it back, the investigation found.

Torres was charged with scheme to defraud, grand larceny and petit larceny, according to the Brooklyn DA.

"Not only is this defendant alleged to have stolen money, he betrayed immigrants who needed help," acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "We will not allow scammers to take advantage of the current climate of fear and confusion in the immigrant community to line their own pockets while making false promises. Now more than ever, immigrants in our city must feel safe and know that law enforcement agencies are here to protect them."

"In these terrifying times for immigrants we have seen a sharp rise in schemes that seek to prey on their fears of deportation," said Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, in a statement. "The Brooklyn District Attorney's office has been a tremendous ally to the New York Immigration Coalition and New York's immigrant communities for many years. They are a key member of the Protecting Immigrant New Yorkers (PINY) Task Force, and we look forward to continuing this close collaboration to ensure that our city remains a safe space for all."

Torres was ordered held on $10,000 bail and to return to court on March 29, 2017. He faces up to seven years in prison.

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