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| MPEagle location here on the "Lower South West Side of Cerritos." The three owners are in jail today. Bummer. |
www.Economy4ABC.Blogspot.com
April 6, 2011
 Image via Wikipedia |
| Marriage to go? Or go to jail for your "marriage." |
Image by roberthuffstutter via FlickrCerritos, CA
A Cerritos "immigration consulting" firm has been raided and arrests have been made that accuse the three owners of arranging "sham" marriages to help keep mostly Indian nationals to stay here legally in the United States.
Image via WikipediaThis story has hit the "national news wires" and focuses on a Cerritos company called MPEagle Immigration Consultants.Today Ajit Kumar Bhargava, 61, his wife, Nisha, 56, and their 30-year-old daughter, Runjhun Bhargava, the owners of the firm were busted on conspiracy to commit visa fraud charges. Big trouble for this clan.
The case was filed in US Federal Court on March 29.
Anyway, the family owned and operated the so-called "immigration assistance" company for years that is located over on the westside of Cerritos at 20222 State Road. (west of the 605 Freeway, at Del Amo Boulevard at the 605 Freeway off ramp, for us "locals" here in the hood).
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed a search warrant this morning, the investigation began in September 2009, when an investigator noticed a pattern on visa applications from people who came to the U.S. on non- immigrant visas such as those for students or tourists, but had married low- income U.S. citizens, according to the federal complaint.
I did a Google search on this "company" and found the following "consumer review" from a consumer called "Abhinav: Maple Eagle fraud This company and ajit bhargava is big fraud. Please be aware of this trap. MAPLE EAGLE is a con artist and a big fraud. I request everbody not to do business and contact this crooks."
Gee. It helps to use "google" these days. This above "review" was posted in 2009. Do the math. Here is the lo' down on how the family "worked" their deals.
They would "recruit" unemployed or poor U.S. citizens for $2,000 and arrange for them to marry immigrants, the complaint alleges.
The "married" couples would take photos of each other and change clothes to make it appear the pictures were taken on different days, and they would open joint bank accounts and "rehearse" their stories of getting together, according to the complaint.The clients would pay from $15,000 to $60,000 to obtain visas, prosecutors allege.
Some of the American citizens would be shorted the money they were owed, and some had to badger the Bhargava family to get paid the full amount, according to the complaint. Cerritos, Arteisa and our area has one of the largest Indian-American populations here in the United States. Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia is the beloved home of "Little India."
When some threatened to report the three to authorities, Ajit Bhargava would sometimes call their bluff and tell them the police would not believe a drug addict, the complaint alleges.
Love this. Are you kidding me? Ahh. Just another day in paradise here in my hometown of Cerritos! Hey, if you used this "company" hit my comment section. Sound off.
Image by LuaCheia72 via Flickr
