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Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced Sep. 1 the indictment and arraignment of Rafael Masso, 28, for defrauding three Dominican immigrants by impersonating a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and purporting to provide legal services to immigrants in 2008.
The defendant has been indicted on charges of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Criminal Impersonation in the First Degree, Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, and Unauthorized Practice of Law.
“Half of all complaints that come into my office’s Immigrant Affairs Program involve individuals who fraudulently pass themselves off as attorneys, or who provide legal advice when they are not licensed to do so,” said Vance in a statement. “These defendants concoct schemes that defraud trusting victims. The district attorney’s office will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals who cheat and steal from immigrants.”
According to documents filed in court, Masso worked out of an apartment in Washington Heights. The defendant told his victims that he was an “Immigration Sergeant” or “Immigration Agent,” and wore a holstered revolver, handcuffs and what appeared to be a federal shield. Using his personal computer, Masso pretended to look up the immigration status of each of his three victims in order to determine how to proceed with their cases.
According to the DA’s office, he then had the victims sign and complete what appeared to be legitimate immigration paperwork. Believing Masso’s charade and his promise to expedite the green card application process, one victim paid him approximately $11,000. A second victim paid approximately $10,000, and a third, approximately $3,500. Masso repeatedly reassured the victims that they would receive their green cards in a short period of time. In return, the victims welcomed him into their homes and invited him to dinner with their families.
Masso left New York for Miami in October 2008, according to documents filed in court. Since December 2008, none of the three victims has been able to reach him.
On February 7, 2010, Masso was arrested in Puerto Rico and later incarcerated for an unrelated charge of grand larceny. In August he was extraditing to New York.
The District Attorney’s Office’s investigation is continuing. Anyone who sought services from MASSO is urged to contact the District Attorney’s Immigrant Affairs Program hotline at 212-335-3600.
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