Valley Attorneys Indicted on Visa Fraud Charges

A grand jury has indicted two Valley attorneys on charges they filed false employment visa applications. The 33-count indictment released Thursday alleges Daniel E. Korenberg and Steven James Rodriguez of the Sherman Oaks firm Korenberg, Abramowitz and Feldun committed visa fraud, made false statements and conspired to commit visa fraud from 2000 to 2003. Korenberg of Encino was a partner at the firm, which has since been renamed ASK Law Group. Rodriguez of Thousand Oaks was a senior associate. Another senior partner, Philip Abramowitz, and paralegal Heidi Poepping were previously charged in separate actions. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy and Abramowitz pleaded guilty to visa fraud. Calls to ASK Law Group seeking comment about the indictment Thursday were not returned. An investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office found that the defendants had filed fraudulent visa petitions on behalf of foreign nations seeking temporary work status or permanent residency in the U.S., according to the indictment. The indictment also alleges the firm hired foreign nations in support positions at the firm and paid them in cash until they could receive work visas. At least 14 obtained visas, the indictment said. Korenberg and Rodriguez are scheduled to appear in court March 29. If convicted, Korenberg faces up to 225 years in federal prison; Rodriquez up to 15 years. “The people involved in this scheme clearly knew the law and manipulated it for their own purposes to make a profit,” said Robert Schoch, the agent in charge of the investigations office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles, in a statement.