Phony Bronx Lawyer Still Duping Immigrants, AG Says

THE BRONX, NY — A Bronx man continued posing as an immigration lawyer despite a court order barring him from offering legal services, scamming more than 500 immigrants out of thousands of dollars, state officials said Tuesday.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is seeking civil and criminal contempt-of-court charges against Vincent Gonzalez, who authorities say faces jail time and millions of dollars in penalties for allegedly keeping up his fraudulent law practice.

Gonzalez has represented at least 527 immigration clients in court since 2010 despite never being certified to practice law, Schneiderman's office said.

"It’s unconscionable that a scammer would prey on immigrants in order to make a quick buck – and it’s even more egregious to continue to do so in violation of a court order," Schneiderman said in a statement.

A Manhattan judge in 2010 barred Gonzalez from running anything resembling a legal practice after an investigation found he was representing clients through a Manhattan-based company called Immigration Community Service Corporation, even though he was not an actual lawyer.

But he kept at it, leading to complaints to Schneiderman's office starting in 2015 that Gonzalez was continuing to represent immigrants through a Bronx-based firm called the God-Man Society Club Inc. The company's website advertises "reliable immigration, criminal and civil law services."

Schneiderman's undercover probe found Gonzalez wanted to charge one immigrant $17,500 to handle an immigration case and a criminal case, the attorney general's office said. The client paid Gonzalez $650 before becoming suspicious and cutting off communication with him, Schneiderman's office said.

In addition to keeping up his phony law practice, Gonzalez hasn't paid any of his court-ordered civil penalties or restitution, which are worth more than $6.2 million in total.

Gonzalez could face up to six and a half months in jail if he's found to be in both criminal and civil contempt of court, the attorney general's office said. He also faces fines of $1,000 per day he's found to be in contempt and the amount of the AG's office's expenses on top of his existing penalties and restitution, Schneiderman's office said.

Patch has left a voicemail on Gonzalez's phone seeking comment. We'll update this story if we hear back.

(Lead image via Shutterstock)