FBI agents raided several businesses and homes in the San Gabriel Valley Wednesday -- as part of an investigation into an alleged immigration scam that offered legal U.S. residency to wealthy foreigners.
An unsealed affidavit for a search warrant says a local attorney and her father helped dozens of Chinese nationals obtain green cards by exploiting a U.S. program for immigrants able to invest upwards of $500,000 in U.S. companies, that in turn, promised to create at least 10 new jobs.
More than $50,000,000 was funneled through a number of businesses and bank accounts over the last few years as part of the scheme, according to an FBI agent, who said the attorney and her family used a lot of that money to buy multi-million dollar homes and other real estate.
The Feds said the U.S. businesses listed in the visa applications weren't real, and no jobs were ever created.
Some of the money fronted by the immigration applicants was later returned to the applicants in violation of the law, the FBI said.No one has been charged or arrested.
-- Eric Leonard (@LeonardFiles), KFI News