A Duluth lawyer who filed false documents to help 17 illegal immigrants gain legal status pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Sai Hyun Lee, 63, pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false document with the U.S. Department of Labor. She faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when she is sentenced Feb. 18.
Lee also agreed to forfeit the $100,000 in fees she charged the 17 foreign workers.
"This investigation uncovered an immigration lawyer who sought to personally profit by defrauding the foreign labor certification process," said Daniel Petrole, acting inspector general for the Department of Labor.
According to prosecutors, Lee charged a client $25,000 to substitute the client's name on an approved labor certificate that had been issued to an employer for a different foreign worker. Lee then helped the client apply for legal status using the certificate, prosecutors said, adding that she assisted at least 16 other illegal immigrants the same way.
The case was investigated by the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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