Hicksville Woman Sentenced Today for Green Card Scam

McDermott gets 1-3 years for scheme to defraud immigrants, deportation possible

MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced that Clementina McDermott, 62, of 17 Scooter Lane, Hicksville, NY, was sentenced today by Judge George Peck to a term of incarceration of one-to-three years and to pay $31,925.50 in restitution to eleven victims, for her planning and execution of a scheme to defraud recent immigrant families who paid her to obtain green cards for themselves and their family members.

On March 7, 2006, Ms. McDermott pleaded guilty to the top count in the indictment, Forgery in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony, and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a Class E Felony.

Ms. McDermott was paid between $260 and $3,000 by eleven immigrants to obtain green cards.  No green cards were secured by the defendant.  In two instances, Ms. McDermott submitted applications and fees that were rejected by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly the I.N.S.) and sent back to her; she failed to return the monies to the victims.  In several instances, despite the fact that she collected fees from the immigrants to send applications to Immigrations Services, she did no work and kept the money.  Several of the money orders that she collected from the victims, which were intended to be sent to Immigration Services, were deposited into her personal bank account.

Ms. McDermott is expected to be deported to Colombia upon the completion of her sentence.

Assistant District Attorney Christine Sullivan handled the case for the District Attorney’s Office. Ms. McDermott was represented by Tim Aldridge.