MIAMI — A 50-year-old woman on probation for fraud faced new accusations that she pretended to be a corrupt immigration officer to defraud migrants in Miami-Dade County.
Maria Van-Caneghem, who was born in Cuba and lives in Miami-Dade’s Princeton neighborhood, defrauded at least two women this year, according to Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies.
“It’s victimizing very vulnerable people ... It’s terrible,” Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Mindy S. Glazer said during a bond court hearing.
Deputies arrested Van-Caneghem -- who has had over a dozen fraud cases in Miami-Dade since 2019 -- on Wednesday at a corrections probation office near Kendall.
Court records show Van-Caneghem was sentenced to probation from Feb. 14, 2024, to Feb. 14, 2034, after she was convicted in a 2023 Hialeah Police Department case for grand theft.
In 2022, Van-Caneghem was accused of stealing about $119,000 from her customers at Hello Cuba Travel, who paid for airline tickets that didn’t exist, records show.
Most recently, a migrant victim in Redland, an agricultural community in southwestern Miami-Dade, learned about her past and demanded a refund, according to deputies.
Van-Caneghem allegedly threatened to have her deported. Detectives suspect there are more victims.
“She is representing herself as an immigration officer that can have immigration papers processed and a green card immediately for a fee,” Glazer said about cases involving two women on March 22 and on March 17.
On Thursday, prosecutors filed the two cases. Van Caneghem faced two counts of third-degree grand theft and two counts of organized scheme to defraud. Glazer ordered her to stay away from the victims and set her bond at $12,500.
“You have to show the money you use to post the bond is from a legitimate source of funds,” Glazer said.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Laura Maria Gonzalez-Marques is set to preside over the cases.
Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.
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