2014_04_NK_DR
2014_04_NK_DR
District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson with Assistant District Attorney, Dominican Republic-born Maritza Mejia-Ming,
Photo courtesy of Kings County District Attorney Office
DR national heads DA’s Immigrant Fraud Unit
Kings County District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson has promoted Assistant District Attorney, Dominican Republic-born Maritza Mejia-Ming, to chief of the District Attorney’s new Immigrant Fraud Unit.
Mejia-Ming, a Brooklyn prosecutor since 1997 when she joined the District Attorney’s Office, has extensive trial experience, Thompson said.
The newly-created Immigrant Fraud Unit is under the Investigations Division and its chief, William Schaeffer.
“Immigrants, especially those without documentation, are especially vulnerable to fraud, particularly in the areas of employment, housing and the procurement of proper immigration documents,” Thompson said.
“Our Immigrant Fraud Unit will serve to open a channel of communication to victims of crime who might not otherwise feel that they have a voice,” he added.
As chief of this unit, Thompson said Mejia-Ming “brings to her role a unique understanding of the immigrant experience, as well as significant trial and supervisory experience.”
The District Attorney said the Immigrant Fraud Unit will investigate and prosecute criminal schemes targeting immigrant communities and offer education and appropriate recourse to victims of these schemes.
He said the unit will conduct and handle a range of investigations and related prosecutions, such as unlicensed “attorneys” who purportedly confer legal advice, or promise the proper processing of immigration paperwork; individuals who promise, for a fee, to aid in the sponsorship of work visas, or to provide employment training; advance fee scams that target immigrants seeking employment; and investment scams, among other kinds of fraud.
Mejia-Ming, who migrated with her family in 1972, joined the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in 1997.
She has served in Criminal Court, and the Domestic Violence, Grand Jury and Investigations Bureaus.
Most recently, Mejia-Ming served as first deputy bureau chief in the Early Case Assessment Bureau (ECAB).
In addition to her responsibilities and accomplishments as a prosecutor, Thompson said Mejia-Ming has mentored teenagers in Brownsville, as part of the Office’s Council for Unity.
Martiza Mejia-Ming received her bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University and her Juris Doctorate degree from Fordham Law School.
