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Charges vs woman accused of stealing a client’s USCIS filing fees dismissed
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Posted on Feb 01 2012
Superior Court associate judge David A. Wiseman dismissed yesterday the charges against a woman who allegedly stole U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services filing fees from an alien worker.
Wiseman dropped the case against Ma. Nina Dolot Castro after the Office of the Attorney General moved to dismiss the theft by deception and theft charges filed against her.
A bench trial was scheduled yesterday but assistant attorney general Russell Lorfing asked the judge to instead dismiss the case, saying the 51-year-old Castro faces an indictment in district court arising from the same scheme.
Although he granted the OAG’s motion, the judge noted that the charges in federal court are different.
According to the OAG, Castro obtained money from Norlane Arlane Vargas Rafanan by deception on Oct. 27, 2009.
The OAG said Castro was expected to process applications and mail money orders to USCIS, but instead she endorsed the money order to herself.
The OAG only stated that the amount stolen from the victim was more than $250 but less than $20,000.
Last month, a federal grand jury indicted Castro on the same mail fraud charges for which she was arrested in August but the case was eventually dismissed.
The indictment had charged the defendant with eight counts of mail fraud, four counts of altering a postal money order, and for counts of passing or uttering an altered postal money order.
According to the indictment, through her scheme of stealing clients’ payments for professional services and USCIS filing fees, Castro defrauded clients and her employers of about $27,000.
