Fake lawyer Oana Luisa Rodríguez Ochoa scams immigrants seeking asylum

• Fake lawyer scams immigrants in Nevada.
• Oana Luisa Rodríguez Ochoa filed false asylum requests.
• She exploited dozens of people.

Oana Luisa Rodríguez Ochoa, 36, is alleged to have scammed dozens of immigrants in Las Vegas and Florida by promising to process asylum and residency applications.

She is currently facing 10 felony charges dating back to 2022, according to authorities.

The investigation against Rodríguez began in June 2022 after the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) filed a fraud complaint with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office.

Before you continue reading, we invite you to listen to the new Tu Mundo Hoy podcast by clicking HERE.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Fake lawyer scams immigrants

Suspicions were raised that there was something wrong with the asylum applications and that she was practicing law illegally.

«She robbed me, messed everything up, and it’s confirmed that she’s not a lawyer, she pretends to be. She wouldn’t give me the papers so another lawyer could sort out the mess,» Sergio Sevilla complained on Facebook.

Sevilla is one of the social media users who formed a group to locate victims and warn immigrants about the scam allegedly perpetrated by Rodríguez.

The complaint stated that Rodríguez was part of a company providing legalization services for immigrants.

Oana Luisa Rodríguez Ochoa’s company

The name of the company is NV Immigration Help, LLC, which was registered as a limited liability corporation in the state of Nevada on Wednesday, May 11, 2016. Oana served as the manager.

The police file states that Rodríguez submitted at least 30 asylum applications from Cuba.

They were all for political reasons, and many were for children.

EOIR agents discovered that Rodríguez was apparently manipulating documents and practicing law without a license, according to court documents.

She was not licensed to practice law

The State Bar of Nevada confirmed to the court that Rodríguez has never been licensed to practice law in Nevada.

As victim interviews progressed and new evidence was documented, Rodríguez’s legal situation worsened.

Rodríguez relied on social media advertising to attract clients.

She charged $1,200 per asylum application, although some of her clients ended up paying more than $10,000.

A Facebook group reported her

In September 2023, Rodríguez was first officially contacted by authorities, but her responses were evasive and did not provide more details about her work.

Three months later, her advertisements disappeared and her office was closed.

Complainants on Facebook claim they were unable to contact her by phone, raising concerns among many, especially since she held their personal legal documents.

Finally, on April 18, 2024, according to jail records, Oana Luisa Rodríguez Ochoa was arrested.

Charges against Oana Luisa Rodríguez Ochoa