Joseph Molina-Flynn, a once-prominent immigration lawyer in Providence, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty on 19 October to one count of wire fraud and one count of tax evasion after bilking clients out of nearly USD 100,000 and failing to report more than half-a-million dollars in taxes. According to the plea, Molina-Flynn accepted legal and filing fees from immigrant clients between 2019 and 2023 but performed little or no work, often providing false case-status updates. The U.S. Attorney’s Office credited USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) specialists, Homeland Security Investigations, the IRS, and local police for unraveling the scheme. Under the agreement, the defendant must repay USD 83,265 in restitution, file accurate back-tax returns, and faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced on 17 December. Why it matters: immigrant clients—as well as U.S. employers who paid those legal fees—may face missed filing deadlines or loss of lawful status caused by the fraud. Mobility teams should audit invoices and filing receipts provided by outside counsel and insist on direct USCIS receipt notices to verify work performed. The case also demonstrates inter-agency coordination: USCIS now automatically cross-references suspicious G-28 attorney records against IRS and FBI data. Practitioners found to have defrauded clients risk permanent banning from practice before DHS and DOJ immigration courts.
Source: USCIS
