MIAMI — A woman who was arrested late last year for allegedly posing as an immigration attorney — and, in other cases, as a corrupt immigration officer — is now facing additional fraud-related charges, Miami police confirmed Friday.
Authorities said Maria de Lourdes Van-Caneghem, 50, was arrested on Sept. 3, 2025, following an investigation by the Miami Police Department’s Financial Crimes Detail.
They said new charges have been added in an unrelated incident, including organized scheme to defraud and third-degree grand theft.
According to a press release from the Miami Police Department, the investigation began on July 25, 2025, when a victim reported being defrauded by a woman claiming to be an immigration attorney.
They said that victim sought legal help after her husband was detained by immigration authorities and was referred by a relative to Van-Caneghem.
In that case, police said Van-Caneghem requested $2,000 for immigration services but accepted $1,440, which the victim paid using two money orders.
After repeated requests for proof of payment went unanswered, the victim conducted an online search and discovered Van-Caneghem’s history of fraud-related arrests, according to her arrest report.
Detectives later confirmed through subpoenaed financial records and surveillance video that Van-Caneghem cashed the money orders. They said the victim positively identified Van-Caneghem in a photo lineup.
Local 10 News has previously reported that Van-Caneghem also pretended to be a corrupt immigration officer to defraud migrants in Miami-Dade County.
Court records show Van-Caneghem has also been charged in more than a dozen fraud cases in Miami-Dade County since 2019. She was sentenced to probation from Feb. 14, 2024, to Feb. 14, 2034, following a 2023 Hialeah Police Department case in which she was convicted of grand theft.
Records also show that in 2022, Van-Caneghem was accused of stealing about $119,000 from customers of Hello Cuba Travel, who paid for airline tickets that did not exist.
As of Friday morning, Van-Caneghem was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond was listed as “to be set.”
MPD officials are urging anyone who believes they may have been targeted by similar fraud schemes to call 911.
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