…run:

Prosecutors said Cucciniello, who has a history of convictions for similar schemes, took about $560,000 from about 60 immigrants in Boston, New York and Greater New Haven. Most were Irish, but others came from Ecuador, Eastern Europe, Italy and Britain.

. . .

Cucciniello, who claimed to be a lawyer at a Yale Law School immigration clinic, charged immigrants $5,000 each to file papers that he said would lead to a green card. But Assistant State’s Attorney John Waddock said Cucciniello was not an attorney and there was no such clinic.

Cucciniello, an unpaid research assistant for a law professor, had access to the law school and a Yale e-mail account.

Prosecutors said one person turned over an inheritance of $100,000 so Cucciniello could invest it in a mutual fund, while a second victim gave him $40,000. Both victims’ accounts were drained.

From Newsday.  As always, if all indications are that there is no possibility for legalization, and someone is offering a solution no one else knows about, take a second look! This is especially important in the immigration context: in many case, not only will the immigrant lose money — he can also expose himself to detention and deportation.