A one-time Virginia Senate candidate will have to serve time in jail and pay compensation to her victims after posing as an immigration lawyer.
Jasmine Moawad, a 49-year-old woman from Bolivia, was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud on Friday, March 7, with all but six months suspended, according to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Moawad was also ordered to pay $19,450 in restitution to seven of her deceived victims.
According to the announcement, Moawad promised aid with immigration visas, work permits, and other services, with money directed to an account associated with her 2019 Virginia State Senate campaign. When the clients confronted Moawad and demanded a refund of their funds after the work was not done, he refused and threatened to deport them.
On May 12, 2021, the Fairfax County Police Department arrested Moawad after receiving a concerned call from a victim’s acquaintance. At the time of the arrest, police stated they had identified two victims and were aware of at least five others.
According to investigators, Moawad appeared to target Latino immigrants in particular and operated from rented office space in the Tysons neighborhood, despite the fact that she lived in Gainesville.
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Moawad, originally from Bolivia, is not a licensed attorney in Virginia or any other jurisdiction. Over a dozen victims were identified throughout the investigation, which began in 2021. Victims had sought Moawad’s purported legal services for a variety of issues, including assistance with immigration visas and work permits, representation in civil matters, and real estate or rental deals. At Moawad’s direction, some victims made payments to a campaign account, New Americanos for America, which was linked to a 2019 campaign for Virginia State Senate. Some victims also testified that when they asked Moawad to return their payments, after the promised work had not been completed, she refused and threatened immigration consequences.
Following a two-day restitution hearing in October that included testimony from 11 victims, Moawad pleaded guilty on February 15 to obtaining money by false pretense, a Class 4 felony punishable by two to ten years in prison.
According to the Washington Post, Moawad apologized at her sentencing hearing last week, but Fairfax County Circuit judicial Judge Tania M.L. Saylor sentenced her to jail after determining that she did not demonstrate “true remorse” during the judicial process.
According to a representative for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the judge calculated the amount of restitution based on the evidence submitted by victims at the October hearing.
According to Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano, Moawad preyed on some of the community’s most vulnerable individuals.
“The defendant targeted vulnerable communities to make money and preyed on clients who couldn’t verify documents because they did not speak English, or who were vulnerable to threats and intimidation because of their legal status,” Descano said. “Our community is only as safe as our most vulnerable members — that’s why my office is committed to keeping all of our community members safe, regardless of the language they speak or their legal status.”