Gwinnett Police ID Fake Immigration Attorney Suspect

DULUTH, GA — Gwinnett County Police on Thursday identified the man they say has been posing as an immigration lawyer, ripping off his victims for tens of thousands of dollars.

Eddi Bueno-Cabrera, 46, is a convicted felon from the Dominican Republic who has been deported three times in the past, according to police.

Six warrants have been issued for his arrest — three counts of theft by deception and three counts of unauthorized practice of law.

Police say more charges are possible as more victims come forward. Bueno-Cabrera's whereabouts remain unknown, police said.

Police last week announced they were looking for a man who goes by the alias of Juan Manuel Pineda Cruz, among several others.

They said at the time he had taken more than $30,000 from his victims while falsely posing as an immigration attorney. Since then, more victims have come forward, Gwinnett Police said.

In addition to approaching potential victims in Gwinnett County, investigators have learned that the man had a vendor stand at the Pendergrass Flea Market, just north of Gwinnett along Interstate 85 in Jackson County.

On December 13, a victim told police the man introduced himself as an immigration attorney practicing in metro Atlanta. He sounded well-versed in immigration law, said the victim, who paid him more than $6,000 to help have several of his family members brought to the United States legally.

That never happened, the victim said, and the suspect stopped communicating with the victim.

On January 30, police learned of two other victims who were allegedly scammed by the man. They said he told them he was an immigration attorney who could bring immigrants from Mexico to the United States legally as well as legalize anyone's immigration status.

The victims paid him more than $20,000 to help gain legal status for 18 foreign workers from Latin America. After several months went by and no progress was made, the suspect stopped taking the victims' phone calls.

In one recent case, police say, a victim secretly made a video recording of the suspect. Here is that video:

Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit the CrimeStoppers website.

You can also text your tip to “Crimes” (274637). Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.

Photo and video courtesy Gwinnett County Police Department