Siblings Accused Of Illegally Bringing People To US For Work

BRONXVILLE, NY — Two Hudson Valley residents were accused of conspiring to commit visa fraud and have citizens of another country come to the United States illegally. Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced Wednesday the arrest of Maria Luis Estrella Jaidi, 60, of Bronxville, and her brother, Ramon Singson Estrella, 55, of Manila, Philippines, for their conspiracy to commit visa fraud, make materially false statements and induce citizens of other countries to come to and live illegally in the United States.

Jaidi was arrested Wednesday in Ancramdale, Columbia County. Estrella remains at large.

Berman said the siblings abused the nation's process for admitting consular officials in order to bring domestic workers into the country for their own monetary gain and lifestyle.

"On top of that, Maria Luisa Estrella Jaidi exploited these workers by not providing them the critical protections and benefits they would have been entitled to had they been properly brought to this country with the appropriate visas," he said. "Today's charges demonstrate that fraud and abuse of this type will not be tolerated."

According to prosecutors, Jaidi and Estrella conspired with a diplomatic agent accredited to the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Morocco to the U.S., with the rank of an ambassador.

From about 1980 through 2016, Jaidi and the diplomat were married.

Berman said Jaidi and the diplomat, who was not named as a defendant, had domestic workers submit visa applications that had false statements and fraudulent employment contracts.

Estrella helped recruit several of the workers in the Philippines to work for Jaidi and the diplomat in the U.S. He also instructed them to make the false statements in their visa applications, authorities said.

Jaidi, Estrella and the diplomat had five of the workers state in their applications that they would be employed as secretaries, administrative assistants or technicians at the Moroccan Mission or the Consulate General for Morocco in Manhattan.

The fraudulent employment contracts also overstated salaries, understated number of work hours and falsely guaranteed benefits, officials said.

When the domestic workers arrived in the country, they worked as personal drivers, domestic helpers, farmhands and assistants at Jaidi's Bronxville residence or the farm in Ancramdale.

Prosecutors said the workers were paid significantly less than minimum wage and required them to work far in excess of 40 hours per week, sometimes seven days a week. In addition, they did not receive any benefits and were required to surrender their passports.

Jaidi and Estrella were both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and make materially false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years, and one count of conspiracy to induce aliens to illegally come to, enter and reside in the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

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