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.

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.

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.

Homeland Security Investigations special agents worked on the case.

Coral Gables woman pleads guilty after posing as ICE legal administrative specialist

About The Author

Andrea Torres