ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Several people hoping to become U.S. citizens lost tens of thousands of dollars after a group falsely posing as immigration attorneys took advantage of them, investigators in Orange County said.
For years, Vagner Soares De Almeida, his wife Juliana Colucci, and their associates, promoted Legacy Imigra in Orlando as a full-service agency whose attorneys handled immigration and asylum claims for immigrants seeking lawful status in the United States.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said it was all a scheme to profit off of those “least able to defend themselves.” The group is believed to have amassed more than $20 million over the past three years from hundreds of victims who were seeking their help.
“They basically got rich through a business model built on manipulation, fraud, lies and extortion,” Mina said. “And the majority of their clients, most of whom are Brazilian nationals, got no closer to realizing their dreams of becoming Americans.”
Investigators were first tipped off in September when an attorney from the Florida Bar reached out saying they had received multiple complaints involving Legacy Imigra, the sheriff said. The claims were that the agency was charging “significant fees” for fraudulent or improperly filed applications.
“Legacy created email accounts in the victims’ names without their knowledge or consent, and then withheld documents and told victims they would not receive their paperwork unless they paid additional money,” Mina said. “So, the withholding of the immigration documents was used as leverage to force payment, exploiting the victims’ fear of removal from the United States.”
The founder of the agency, Vagner Soares De Almeida, his wife, and their associates Ronaldo Decampos and Lucas Felipe Trindade Silva, were all arrested in connection with the investigation. They face charges of racketeering, organized fraud, extortion and unauthorized practice of law.
So far, seven victims have come forward, each having lost between $2,500 and $26,000, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. However, investigators believe there are likely many more people who have been impacted.
Anyone who believes they were a victim of Legacy Imigra or knows someone impacted is asked to reach out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 407-836-4357.
