MIAMI — A Coral Gables woman charged migrants hundreds of dollars, as she pretended to be a federal government employee to influence their immigration court cases, according to federal prosecutors.
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Ana Linares pleaded guilty to a federal charge of falsely impersonating a federal officer or employee, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida announced on Monday.
In court filings, Linares, 45, “pretended” to be a U.S. Department of Homeland Security official “to obtain the unlawful dismissal of removal proceedings,” according to U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones.
“This was a brazen effort to corrupt lawful removal proceedings, and our Office will prosecute those who use fraud to undermine the integrity of our immigration system,” Reding Quiñones said in a statement.
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In 2024, Linares signed four DHS motions as a “Legal Administrative Specialist, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” seeking “to invoke prosecutorial discretion authority reserved by Department attorneys and employees,” according to prosecutors.
Linares faced a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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Homeland Security Investigations special agents worked on the case.
