Woman who pretended to be Las Vegas immigration lawyer gets 60 days in jail

A judge ordered a 60-day jail sentence Wednesday for a woman who masqueraded as a lawyer, according to prosecutors, and took thousands of dollars from immigrants to represent them in cases she was not qualified to handle.

Oana Rodriguez pleaded guilty to a count of obtaining money under false pretenses in January. Her plea deal, negotiated with the Nevada attorney general’s office, specified that prosecutors would not oppose probation and that she would owe more than $90,000 in restitution to her victims.

Before District Judge Jasmin Lilly-Spells sentenced her, Rodriguez said she now works as a barber in Florida and had a plane ticket to go back Wednesday night.

“I honestly think this is worth more than 60 days,” Lilly-Spells said. “And while I do want each individual to get their money back, as I told the parties here, this is conscionable and directly affects so many individuals’ lives, so it is worthy of some jail time.”

The judge also ordered Rodriguez to be placed on probation for up to two years. She may not work in any law firm or for any company that conducts work related to immigration.

Rodriguez previously faced nine counts of obtaining money under false pretenses, a count of conducting transactions involving fraud or deceit and a count of unlawful practice of law.

Speaking to the judge, she was apologetic.

“I know how hard it is to be an immigrant and come to this country, so I regret it,” she said.

Julio Uscanga-Reyes told the court through an interpreter that he lost $9,000 to Rodriguez.

“She promised me to fix my immigration status,” Uscanga-Reyes said. “When I realized that everything was a lie, it affected me mentally. Everything changed in my life.”

He said he now has trouble sleeping and eating. He doesn’t feel at ease, he said, and ended up in debt because he borrowed money to pay Rodriguez.

Arturo Gerardo Lizarraga Padilla, who also used an interpreter, said he had hoped to obtain a new visa.

“She would tell me she had contacts inside immigration,” he said, and wanted $15,000. She claimed she could pay money to make his case “go fast,” he said, and promised he would have his papers in a few months so he could visit his sick mother.

He told the judge he now fears being deported.

Defense attorney James Gallo said he realized there were a lot of victims and a large amount of financial damage. Rodriguez is remorseful and has been working hard to pay restitution, he said. He asked the judge to consider a 30-day jail sentence.

Depending on her restitution progress while on probation, prosecutors said in her plea agreement that they would not oppose her withdrawing her felony plea and admitting to a gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit theft.

Gallo said after court that the sentence will result in Rodriguez losing her job. She has paid nearly $20,000 in restitution so far, he said.

According to court records, the attorney general’s office learned of Rodriguez in 2022 when the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which is part of the Department of Justice, alleged Rodriguez, the owner of NV Immigration Services, had filed 30 asylum applications with the Las Vegas immigration court.

Rodriguez met with investigators for an interview in September 2023, but was “evasive,” according to filings. Investigators conducted a search warrant at her business. By that December, her signage was gone, and the business appeared vacant.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.