Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and a number of his counterparts fromTexas, New Jersey and Washington other states have launched campaigns in conjunction with a historic, multi-agency federal initiative to combat immigration assistance fraud.
The nationwide initiative is unprecedented in its scope and combines the efforts of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, the Federal Trade Commission and a host of state and local government agencies. The fact that Gansler and so many other state Attorneys General are taking part in the campaign underscores the extent of the problem, which often involves individuals misrepresenting themselves out as Notarios Publicos.
Gansler, who is President-Elect of the National Association of Attorneys General, announced that he has filed charges against a Baltimore, Maryland, Notario business for unlawfully acting as an immigration consultant. Gansler also announced that he was launching a consumer education campaign in cooperation with several immigrant rights and professional associations.
Speaking at the 33rd Annual National Notary Association Conference last month, Gansler said that immigration service fraud “is a big issue in Maryland” and noted that it was not confined to the Hispanic community. Cases have been surfacing among Asian immigrant communities as well as others.