Californian authorities arrested the so-called “supreme commander” of the U.S. Army/Military Special Forces Reserve unit and charged him with duping Chinese immigrants into thinking they had enlisted in the U.S. armed forces.

Yupeng Deng, 51, recruited 100 unwitting Chinese immigrants from Northern to Southern California and even Georgia to enlist in his Southern California group.  The scam required Chinese immigrants to pay several hundred dollars to enlist into the bogus military with the idea that it would help improve their chances of obtaining green cards and U.S. citizenship.

Deng staged an office in Temple City to mimic a real recruiting station with a rug featuring the Army seal. Recruits paid $300 to $400 to join, trained using mock weapons and were issued ID cards they were told could help them beat traffic tickets or earn airfare discounts.

There has been a host of bogus military-style groups catering to Chinese immigrants in the San Gabriel Valley northeast of Los Angeles where members pay dues, dress up in fatigues and promote American patriotism by marching in parades and attending other events.

The case highlights the vulnerability of immigrants desperately seeking to belong in a new country and naive to the norms of a society.

3.2.2010:  On March 1, 2010, the Manhattan Supreme Court ordered Miriam Mercedes Hernandez, a Queens businesswoman, to pay more than $3 million for running an immigration scam.  Hernandez promised dozens of victims she could secure permanent residence for them because she had ties with immigration and elected officials.  She charged as much as $15,000 for each case and none of her cases were successful.   Hernandez has been ordered to pay full restitution to 37 families and more than $2.8million in penalties.

To view the NYDailyNews.com article, visit the following link:

 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/03/02/2010-03-02_qns_woman_ordered_to_repay_3m_in_immig_fraud.html#ixzz0h2EzeoG0