What you should know
A paralegal in Sheepshead Bay was accused of stealing thousands of dollars from immigrants to whom she falsely promised to provide legal services at a discounted rate, but did not actually do any legal work for them or file petitions on their behalf, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New York Ivan Arvelo announced Monday the indictment of Zoya Shamilova, of Sheepshead Bay, on 17 counts in She was charged with grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, immigrant assistance services fraud, attempted immigrant assistance services fraud, coercion, practicing law without a license and first-degree scheme to defraud. Shamilova’s attorney did not It was known immediately.
According to the district attorney, citing the indictment, from May 2022 to August 2023, Shamilova falsely claimed that she could help the victims, who were from Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, India and Kazakhstan, with various immigration services, including cards of residence and obtain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a fee of approximately $4,500 to $16,250.
NEW YORK — A paralegal in Sheepshead Bay is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from immigrants to whom she falsely promised to provide legal services at a discounted rate, but did not actually do any legal work for them or file petitions on their behalf, the law said. Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New York, Ivan Arvelo, announced Monday the indictment of Zoya Shamilova, of Sheepshead Bay, on 17 counts in which she was charged of grand theft, attempted grand theft, immigration assistance services fraud, attempted immigration assistance services fraud, coercion, practicing law without a license and first-degree defraud scheme.
Shamilova was released without bail. She is scheduled to return to court on January 17, 2024. Shamilova’s attorney information was not immediately known.
According to the district attorney, citing the indictment, from May 2022 to August 2023, Shamilova falsely claimed that she could help the victims, who were from Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, India and Kazakhstan, with various immigration services, including cards of residence and obtain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a fee of approximately $4,500 to $16,250. The victims allegedly met Shamilova when they sought consultations at the law firm where she worked as a paralegal and stole more than $38,000 from people she promised to help.
According to the indictment, after accepting payments from victims, Shamilova did not file a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Rather, she allegedly offered excuses or simply ignored calls and text messages from clients seeking updates on her cases.
Additionally, Shamilova allegedly threatened to report two undocumented people to immigration authorities after they questioned her.
The apparent fraud was discovered when an individual texted the law firm’s founder and managing partner to follow up on her case, saying he had met with Shamilova about hiring the firm.
Allegedly, after the founder investigated the matter and found documents related to the fraud, she fired Shamilova and reported her to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and other agencies.
“We allege that this defendant attempted to enrich herself by attacking individuals in our vulnerable immigrant communities as they attempted to comply with federal requirements,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Arvelo shared similar sentiments, calling Shamilova “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“As alleged, Zoya Shamilova lured vulnerable individuals with promises of cheaper legal services as they navigated the immigration process,” Arvelo said. “Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, she is accused of not only stealing from her victims under the guise of legitimacy, but then she threatened her livelihood when they began to question her plan.”
Authorities urge anyone who believes they have been a victim of Shamilova to contact the District Attorney’s Action Center at 718-250-2340 or email [email protected].
2023-11-14 19:30:55
#wolf #sheeps #clothing #Brooklyn #paralegal #accused #defrauding #immigrants
