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Jacquelin Mercado, an immigrant assistance service provider based in Yonkers, has entered into an agreement with the Office of the New York Attorney General after she was found to be posing as an attorney and illegally offering legal advice to customers, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Wednesday, Aug. 23.
According to the Attorney General's Office, Mercado's role as an immigrant assistance service provider entailed her helping customers by translating documents in addition to providing support with other forms and applications.
However, despite the fact that she is not an attorney and cannot provide legal advice or representation, Mercado fraudulently posed as a lawyer and used the title “attorney at law” from at least June 2020 to July 2022, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Additionally, she also unlawfully offered legal advice to her customers, which could have put them in danger, James' office said.
The office's investigation into Mercado also revealed that she threatened to report at least one customer to immigration authorities and undermine their efforts to secure lawful immigration status, officials said.
As part of her agreement with the Attorney General's Office, Mercado was ordered to stop all false advertising of her services, explicitly state in advertising that she is not a licensed attorney, and also pay a total of $9,946.48 in restitution to four customers.
She was also ordered to comply with all laws regarding immigrant assistance service providers. This includes posting necessary signs telling customers their rights, updating her contracts to include information telling customers she is not an attorney, and obtaining the funds needed to make sure customers seeking refunds will be paid.
James said that Mercado took advantage of immigrants through her actions.
"New Americans starting their lives in this country often need help navigating our immigration system,” James said, adding, "Jacqueline Mercado took advantage of that fact and used her position to intimidate and scam immigrants who relied on her for assistance and support."
"Every New Yorker, especially our most vulnerable, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and should be confident that the services they pay for are legitimate. I encourage any immigrant who thinks they may have been taken advantage of to contact my office and help us ensure bad actors and scammers are taken down," James continued.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of fraud is asked to call 1-800-771-7755 or fill out a complaint form by clicking here.
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