A woman posed as an attorney and took thousands of dollars from Northern Virginia immigrants, and when victims confronted her, she threatened to turn them in to immigration officials, prosecutors say.
Jasmine Moawad pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of obtaining money by false pretenses.
On Monday, victims told their stories to a Fairfax County judge who will decide on restitution required in the case. They revealed how much money they paid Moawad to represent them in cases ranging from child custody to real estate issues.
“She was getting clients, quite frankly preying on individuals, in the Spanish-speaking, very heavily immigrant communities and really preying on them when they were in desperate straits,” Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said.
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One woman told the judge she hired Moawad to handle her child custody case after she was told Moawad was a family law attorney.
“I was going through a very difficult custody case,” she told Telemundo 44. “She gave me legal advice that sadly had some very bad consequences.”
Another woman said Moawad went to her house demanding $50,000 on behalf of a client, threatening to have her husband deported if she didn’t pay.
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Victims say they wrote checks to Moawad using a variety of company names, including: Americanos for America Party Incorporated, The New Americano and Friends of Jasmine.
Descano said he hopes the work of police and his office sends a message to all immigrants that criminal activity that targets them will be taken seriously.
“It’s really important for this community that got preyed to know that regardless of their immigration status, if they are victims of crime, we care about them as well and will fight for justice for them regardless of what they status is,” he said.
Moawad will return to court next month for sentencing and find out how much the judge says she needs to pay back. She faces one to 10 years in prison.
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