England: Bogus immigration lawyer jailed for fraud

A woman has been found guilty of fraud by false representation after pretending to be a lawyer.

Harvinder Kaur Thethi, 46, from, Solihull, West Midlands, was found guilty of six counts of fraud by false representation at Southwark Crown Court. Ms Thethi was remanded in custody pending a sentencing hearing.

The offences took place between 1 June 2013 and 8 September 2014 in Hounslow, West London.

Ms Thethi, an unqualified person, falsely claimed to be a barrister, solicitor and a Home Office official with the ability to progress immigration applications.

She obtained £68,000 from vulnerable people in payment for immigration-related services which were promised but not delivered. Ms Thethi ingratiated herself to the victims and was treated as a daughter or sister.

This prosecution was the result of an OISC-led investigation in partnership with Immigration Enforcement and the Metropolitan Police.

Ms Thethi was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment last Thursday on each count to run concurrently.

In sentencing, HHJ Loraine-Smith said: “You decided to embark on a fantasy life, when you claimed to be a successful lawyer earning a large income. You were nothing of the sort. The large amounts of money you obtained came entirely from money you had stolen from people you had befriended and cheated.

“People whose immigration status is precarious are very, very vulnerable. It is not surprising that if they found somebody they thought was a family friend, they could be convinced to part with large sums of money they could ill afford.

“You preyed on their vulnerability again and again…the investigation was thorough, fair, and – it is clear from the Victim Personal Statements – kind. I commend both officers in this case.”