A woman who allegedly ran a fraudulent immigration services business was charged today with 21 additional felony counts after investigators discovered new victims, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

Dalila Moreno (dob 11/23/54) already faced 17 felony counts involving 13 alleged victims in case BA462322 filed on Oct. 30. An additional 19 victims have since been identified with the help of the Consumer Protection Division's telephone hotline, said Deputy District Attorney Ryann Gerber Jorban, who is prosecuting the case.

The 38 total charges listed in the amended criminal complaint include 27 counts of grand theft of personal property, along with attempted grand theft of personal property, forgery, counterfeit seal and extortion. The charges include allegations of taking property valued at more than $100,000 and concealing some of the offenses through fraud and misrepresentation.

Moreno pleaded not guilty to the original charges on Jan. 12 and bail was set at $550,000. She is expected to be arraigned on the new charges on June 19 in Department 50 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

According to the prosecutor, Moreno ran the immigration business from her East Los Angeles home, falsely promising to expedite the processing of visas, resident alien cards and citizenship petitions for her clients and their families. The defendant allegedly told victims she worked for the government and had special government connections.

She is accused of pretending to provide services by creating false visas and passport stamps, then collecting $270,000 from the victims without providing the promised services. The crimes occurred between Sept. 1, 2010, and May 2, 2015, according to the complaint.

Moreno faces a maximum possible sentence of 28 years in state prison if convicted as charged.

The case remains under investigation by the District Attorney's Consumer Protection Division and Bureau of Investigation.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim of the defendant is asked to call the Consumer Protection Division's hotline at (213) 257-2465

Los Angeles District Attorney / May 23, 2018