A federal grand jury in Houston has indicted immigration attorney Alla Nowowiejski, 44, on charges of mail fraud and making false statements, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. She was arrested and made her initial court appearance this week.
The allegations
Nowowiejski accepted payments from clients seeking help establishing or adjusting their work status and applying for work visas, prosecutors allege. In many cases, she never filed the applications at all, or filed only part of the required paperwork.
The indictment also accuses her of giving clients false documents and reference numbers tied to other people’s active immigration cases, using them to convince her own clients that their applications were still being processed by immigration authorities.
Investigation
Harris County Precinct 1 investigators, who opened the original inquiry, say the broader investigation has identified more than 100 potential victims, some of whom may not yet know their cases were affected. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General led the federal investigation, with assistance from USCIS and Harris County Precinct 1.
Potential penalties
If convicted, Nowowiejski faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of as much as $250,000. Prosecutors stress that an indictment is only a formal accusation, and that she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty through due process of law.
Cases like this one are a reminder to verify any immigration attorney’s standing with the state bar and to request copies of everything filed with USCIS on your behalf.