Texas Attorney General Shuts Down Unauthorized Immigration Consultant

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an agreed final judgment and permanent injunction filed in Bexar County district court, banning Hector Alfonso Sanchez from providing unauthorized legal services in Texas and ordering him to stop promoting them on the Internet, said a press release Tuesday. As part of the injunction, he will have to pay restitution to affected consumers, civil penalties and attorney’s fees.

The final judgment, filed Feb. 1, stems from a state lawsuit filed in Dec. 2014 against Sanchez and attorney Cheryl Boone-Delgado, charging them with violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA). According to the lawsuit, Sanchez promoted himself as an attorney, when in reality he is not authorized to practice law in the United States.  Furthermore, Sanchez represented on numerous websites that he was a partner of a large international Colombian law firm with offices in Texas and Minnesota and offered a wide array of legal services.

According to the press release, Sanchez worked as a legal assistant for Boone-Delgado, an immigration attorney licensed in Texas.  According to court documents, Sanchez, with authority from Boone-Delgado, traveled to immigration detention centers throughout the country to interview clients and solicit business.  Sanchez represented himself as an attorney to consumers and accepted payment for legal services.  Boone-Delgado and Sanchez split fees after Sanchez collected payments from them. A default judgment against co-Defendant Cheryl Boone-Delgado was obtained on Feb. 19, 2015.

Under the final judgment, Sanchez will be permanently enjoined from advertising, performing, or accepting money for immigration consulting services.

Under federal law, only licensed attorneys and organizations accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals may offer immigration consulting services.

To view the final judgment, click here.