A 57-year-old man from Houston has made an appearance in federal court for his involvement in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The charges against him include mail fraud, wire fraud, and engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived property. This update was announced by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jesus Carlos Silva appeared before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Ho at 2 p.m. to make his initial appearance.
According to the indictment filed on December 17th, Silva orchestrated a scheme to deceive immigrants from March 2022 to December 2024. Allegedly, he made false promises to assist them in obtaining U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status.
Silva is facing charges for allegedly making false statements and misrepresentations in order to deceive victims into paying him large sums of money. He is accused of impersonating an immigration attorney associated with a law firm based in Houston, even though he is not a licensed attorney.
Silva is believed to have focused on individuals who were undocumented immigrants, promising them citizenship or legal status. He would claim to have connections within USCIS that would fast-track their applications. The victims, who were predominantly without legal immigration status, were charged anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000 each.
Silva allegedly failed to provide any assistance to victims with regard to their immigration status and neglected to secure legal status for them. Instead, he purportedly offered excuses for the lack of progress on their applications and ultimately severed communication.
Silva is facing charges for allegedly instructing victims to travel to Houston under the false pretense of appointments with USCIS. Upon arrival, the victims realized that Silva was not present and that no appointments had actually been scheduled.
If Silva is found guilty, he may be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and could be subject to a fine of up to $250,000.
The FBI collaborated with the U.S. Marshals Service and Houston Police Department to conduct the investigation. Prosecutors Jessica Feinstein and Rodolfo Ramirez are handling the case.
An information is an official allegation of criminal behavior, but it is not considered as evidence. It is important to remember that a defendant is always presumed innocent until proven guilty through the proper legal procedures.
