HOUSTON – A 44-year-old Houston woman has been charged with mail fraud and false statements in relation to her job as an immigration attorney.
Authorities have now taken Alla Nowowiejski into custody. She made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Bennett at 2 p.m. today.
According to the indictment, Nowowiejski accepted payments from clients to assist them with establishing or adjusting their work status and applying for work visas. However, she allegedly never submitted the applications or only submitted them in part.
The indictment further alleges Nowowiejski provided clients with false documents or reference numbers associated with active immigration cases unrelated to her clients. She allegedly used the documents and reference number to make the clients believe immigration authorities were processing their applications.
If convicted, she faces up to 20 years…
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.