Every now and then we hear about a similar story. People should be reminded to retain only qualified, well known lawyers who are experts in immigration law, and to avoid individuals or organizations who promise quick fixes, jobs without interviews with employers, or fast results.
Police say man posing as immigration lawyer stole thousands from Russian immigrants - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Russian 'immigration lawyer' charged with fraud
Bilked fellow immigrants, police say
By Robert Nolin and Danielle A. Alvarez, Sun Sentinel
10:43 PM EST, January 26, 2011
FORT LAUDERDALE
A Russian with a portfolio of false identities posed as a South Florida immigration lawyer and bilked hundreds of thousands of dollars from compatriots by promising to assist them with immigration and other legal work, police said Wednesday.
David Vyner, 35, of Hallandale Beach, faces five counts of practicing law without a license and one count of fraud based on claims he stole about $370,000 from a husband and wife, a mother and daughter, and two other emigres.
He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in state prison if convicted on the fraud charge and up to five years if convicted on the other counts.
"He stole tons of money," said Detective John Calabro of the Broward Sheriff's Office, who arrested Vyner when he turned himself in to Broward's Main Jail on Tuesday.
The detective said Vyner at times passed himself off as a Russian doctor trying to find work in area hospitals. He also sought work in local doctors' office.
"He actually got in [a doctor's office] and maybe worked for a week before the doctors figured it out," Calabro said. "He didn't see any patients."
Vyner didn't limit his impersonations to doctors and lawyers. "Recently, he said he was a rabbi," Calabro said.
Vyner is a Russian native whose given name was Bagrat Mochkarovsky. He later changed his name to Bagrat Ambartsumyan before legally adopting the name Vyner.
Federal authorities put an immigration hold on him and could deport him after his state charges are resolved.
Vyner, considered a flight risk after previously fleeing while on bail, is being held under a $900,000 bond.
The investigation into his activities started about a year ago, based on Florida Bar complaints.
In a four-page affidavit, investigators said between August 2007 and February 2009, Vyner, posing as an immigration law expert, defrauded Sergey Ponyatovsky of nearly $274,000 for legal services in the prospective immigrant's case. The work was never done, and Ponyatovsky was returned to Russia.
In 2007, the affidavit said, Vyner, billing at $360 an hour, charged two other immigrants, Natalia Maher, 51, of Key West, and her daughter, Olga Vorobyov, 31, a total of $52,000 to obtain a Social Security number and work permit for Vorobyov.
That same year, the affidavit stated, Vyner charged Juarate Ferreira, a Lithuanian native and naturalized U.S. citizen, $5,000 for unspecified legal work.
In the fourth case, Anna and Sergiy Bereza of Chatham, Mass., paid Vyner a total of $41,000 to assist with a political asylum application, the affidavit said. That application is still pending.
"He told every one of them that he was a lawyer, plus he had outrageous fees," Calabro said. "These immigrants trusted him and they came across a crook."
Vyner never appeared in court, just prepared legal paperwork. "He knew how to fill out applications," the detective said.
In all cases, Vyner billed himself as part of the Nerdinsky Law Group, a Hallandale Beach law firm headed by Leonid Nerdinsky.
Nerdinsky's wife and partner, Dina Nerdinsky, said they had no affiliation with Vyner.
"We were informed a couple of months ago that he was stating he was part of our law firm and forging our letterhead on documents," she said.
The Florida Bar lists Leonid Nerdinsky as a member in good standing who has never faced disciplinary action since being admitted in 2003.
Calabro said Vyner has a multi-count fraud warrant out for him from Canada and has been in trouble in his native country. "I think he's done time in Russia for fraud," he said.
Upon learning there was a Florida warrant out for him on Dec. 16, Vyner fled to Washington, D.C. He was arrested there on Dec. 28, then skipped out on a $5,000 bond. Tuesday night he called Calabro and arranged to give himself up.
"I guess he got tired of running," Calabro said.
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