EL PASO, TX – Ana Maria Hernandez, 53, was sentenced to 87 months in prison for wire fraud and impersonating a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) employee. Hernandez deceived undocumented individuals and their families into believing she could help them with immigration paperwork for a fee.
Court records indicate that Hernandez collected the required documents from her victims but never initiated any immigration procedures. Investigations showed she accumulated thousands of dollars within 18 months, coinciding with her fraudulent activities. Following her arrest on January 23, dozens of potential victims contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso Division.
In April, Hernandez pleaded guilty to 10 counts of wire fraud and one count of impersonation. Along with her prison sentence, she is ordered to pay $123,275 in restitution and a money judgement of $19,870.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza stated that Hernandez took advantage of vulnerable individuals for her own financial benefit, adding that such fraudulent exploitation would be prosecuted.