Immigration Fraud Ring Busted in California

Date: Monday, January 06, 2003 8:43 AM

H-1B and JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

www.ZaZona.com

This fraud ring was has been charged with using labor certifications to get
visas primarily for Mexican and Filipino clients that paid up to $6,000
each. Some aliens were told they could use 245(i) - the amnesty for illegal
alien bill that Bush has tried so hard to get through Congress. For more on
245(i) go to: http://www.numbersusa.com/text?ID=1005

Companies mentioned in this press release (LICG, Apple Vacations, and
EmpBase) are listed in the LCA Database at www.ZaZona.com/LCA-Data

County of Santa Clara

Office of the District Attorney

70 West Hedding Street, West Wing, 5th Floor
San Jose, California 95110
(408) 299-7400

George W. Kennedy
District Attorney

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT PERSON: Dale B. Lohman, Deputy District Attorney

Major Fraud Unit, (408) 792-2599

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON January 2, 2003

CHARGES FILED IN IMMIGRATION AND TAX FRAUD CASE

The Santa Clara County Office of the District Attorney has filed felony
charges against two of the owners of a local immigration consulting firm.
Noel Ramayrat, 51, and Mercedes Alcantara, 45, both Filipino nationals, were
arrested on December 27, 2002 following a two-year investigation by the
Office of the District Attorney and State Employment Development Department.
Ramayrat faces 33 felony counts: 18 counts of grand theft, 12 counts of
payroll tax evasion, one count of income tax evasion, and one count each of
conspiracy to commit illegal immigration consulting and unauthorized
practice of law. Alcantara is charged with 19 felony violations.

The defendants owned and operated LICG, Inc. (“Labor and Immigration
Consulting Group” or “Legal Immigration and Consulting Group”) located at
586 North First Street and 255 North Market Street in San Jose. The unbonded
company processed labor certification and H1B visa petitions on behalf of
primarily Mexican and Filipino clients. The defendants obtained new clients
through advertising in local papers, the phone book, seminars, and word of
mouth.

Ramayrat, who is not licensed to practice law in California, represented
himself as an immigration attorney and gave legal advice to clients. Many
of the clients were dishwashers, busboys and kitchen workers who agreed to
pay up to six thousand dollars apiece after being promised labor
certifications and green cards for which they were unlikely to qualify. The
defendants also misrepresented that they could obtain amnesty for clients
under a recently-passed immigration law known as 245(i).

The defendants also owned and operated EmpBase, Inc., which they advertised
as a placement agency that would find sponsor employers for Filipino
professionals whose visa petitions LICG was processing. Victims were lured
to the United States with promises of high-paying jobs, but when they
arrived, the promised jobs did not exist and the victims were stranded here.
In what has been described as a “bait-and-switch” operation, some of the
employees were then offered low-paying clerical jobs that violated their
immigration petitions.

One local company, Apple Vacations, hired over fifty workers through EmpBase
after being assured by the defendants that each of the workers was “legal”.
When it was discovered that all were working illegally, they were
terminated.

On state tax forms, EmpBase failed to disclose the existence of the
employees it had placed at Apple. In addition, the defendants withheld
state taxes from the employees’ wages but failed to forward the money to the
State of California in violation of state laws. Ramayrat is also alleged to
have underreported his 2000 income on his personal California tax return in
order to evade taxes.

If convicted, Ramayrat could face over thirty-one years in state prison. If
convicted, Alcantara, who also uses the name Deea Santos, faces twenty-two
years in prison. The next court date for the pair is January 3, 2003.

LICG and EmpBase are believed to have additional offices in Fresno, Salinas,
Daly City, San Diego, Hayward and Salinas. They may also have offices in
New Jersey, Illinois and Utah. It is believed that there may be hundreds of
victims of this fraud. Anyone with information or questions is encouraged
to call Santa Clara County D. A. Investigator Gary Medlin at (408) 792-2917.
The District Attorney’s Office is working closely with the United States
Attorney’s Office. Victims are assured that the District Attorney’s Office
will not refer them to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
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