Woman sentenced to 10 years for immigration scam

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis woman was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for falsely taking payments from people for immigration services, prosecutors said.

Judith Palma, who was 57 when arrested in February, also went by the name Roma Smith, according to investigators. She was initially accused of committing 17 counts of theft by taking more than $67,000 from 31 victims.

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release that Palma took payments from people for immigration services and documents that were never produced. The office’s grand jury division led the investigation.

Prosecutor Terry Curry said in the release, “Judith Palma took advantage of some of the most vulnerable and naïve individuals in our community. Persons such as Palma who exploit a position of trust and target such vulnerable victims will be strenuously investigated and prosecuted. I commend our Grand Jury Division investigators and our interpreters who worked tirelessly on this case.”

Palma falsely claimed that she had a contact who was an attorney in the Indianapolis Immigration Office and could help undocumented individuals receive U.S. Permanent Residency Cards and various other immigration documents, the release said. After gaining trust of many victims by meeting them through local churches, Palma required down payments for the services which were never provided.

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