Fla woman gets prison for scamming Haitian workers

A Florida woman has been sentenced to two years in prison for duping Haitian workers in a visa scam.

Marie Nicole Dorval also was ordered Friday to repay $26,350 to 31 victims. The Haitian-born, naturalized U.S. citizen pleaded guilty in October 2011 to conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

Prosecutors say Dorval's company recruited 145 Haitians to work in the U.S. in 2009 with false claims about hotel and construction jobs.

Attorneys representing the victims say some were sent to work on farms near Gainesville, where they lived without electricity.

The Sun Sentinel reports that Dorval's attorney said she made a mistake and should have withdrawn the workers' visa applications when the economy tanked.

The workers arrived legally with temporary work visas. They eventually were granted temporary protected status.