{"id":14083,"date":"2026-06-18T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T16:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=14083"},"modified":"2026-06-17T23:48:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T04:48:03","slug":"venezuelan-detained-posing-as-lawyer-in-panama-immigration-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/crime-safety\/venezuelan-detained-posing-as-lawyer-in-panama-immigration-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan Detained Posing as Lawyer in Panama Immigration Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 33-year-old Venezuelan citizen faces provisional detention in Panama. Authorities accuse him of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unodc.org\/unodc\/en\/organized-crime\/intro\/UNTOC.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">aggravated fraud<\/a> and illegal practice of law. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oas.org\/en\/topics\/justice\/panama.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Panama Public Ministry<\/a> confirmed the charges Thursday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police arrested the suspect on Tuesday. He now faces four separate cases for these crimes. Investigators say the financial damage exceeds $7,000. The man allegedly targeted <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venezuelan_refugee_crisis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Venezuelan migrants in Panama<\/a> seeking legal status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/capital-migration-current-headquaraters-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"capital migration current headquaraters\" class=\"wp-image-13141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/capital-migration-current-headquaraters-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/capital-migration-current-headquaraters-1200x800-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/capital-migration-current-headquaraters-1200x800-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/capital-migration-current-headquaraters-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/capital-migration-current-headquaraters-1200x800-1-450x300.webp 450w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/capital-migration-current-headquaraters-1200x800-1.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Current Migration Headquarters Panam\u00e1 on Avenida Ricardo J Alfaroby MagicOneV &#8211; Trabajo propio, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=74767695<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the Immigration Scam Worked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The suspect presented himself as a licensed attorney. He offered immigration services to other foreigners. Victims paid him upfront for promised paperwork and legal procedures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the money changed hands, communication stopped completely. The man never completed the immigration processes he had promised. Court documents show a pattern of deception across multiple victims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The accused requested advance payments for supposed immigration procedures. After receiving the money, he would cease all contact with the victims without completing the promised services,&#8221; the Panama Public Ministry stated in a press release. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Provisional detention was ordered while investigations continue. The court imposed this measure to prevent flight risk. Four distinct cases are now linked to the Venezuelan national. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">\u00a1Promet\u00eda tr\u00e1mites migratorios y despu\u00e9s se perd\u00eda! \ud83d\udea8<br><br>La Polic\u00eda Nacional aprehendi\u00f3 a un ciudadano venezolano de 33 a\u00f1os, investigado por presunta estafa agravada.<br><br>Seg\u00fan las autoridades, el hombre se hac\u00eda pasar por abogado, ofrec\u00eda supuestos tr\u00e1mites migratorios, cobraba por\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WpvpBEBzdE\">pic.twitter.com\/WpvpBEBzdE<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Mi Diario Panam\u00e1 (@MiDiarioPanama) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MiDiarioPanama\/status\/2066917687553380603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 16, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ongoing Investigation and Potential Victims<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Authorities have not closed the door on additional victims. Investigators remain actively searching for more affected parties. The full scope of the alleged scheme remains unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/crime-safety\/panama-takes-on-digital-scammers-at-international-summit\/\" rel=\"internal\">Public Ministry<\/a> continues gathering evidence and witness testimony. Police collaboration has been crucial in tracking the suspect&#8217;s activities. Each new case adds to the growing body of evidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Immigration fraud poses serious risks for vulnerable populations. Many migrants lack familiarity with Panama&#8217;s legal system. Scammers exploit this confusion and desperation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The suspect&#8217;s detention marks a significant step in protecting immigrant communities. Officials urge anyone with information to come forward. The investigation aims to determine the total reach of these fraudulent activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"833\" height=\"968\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/migration-logo-panama-833x968-1.webp\" alt=\"migration logo panama\" class=\"wp-image-13143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/migration-logo-panama-833x968-1.webp 833w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/migration-logo-panama-833x968-1-258x300.webp 258w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/migration-logo-panama-833x968-1-768x892.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/migration-logo-panama-833x968-1-150x174.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/migration-logo-panama-833x968-1-450x523.webp 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 833px) 100vw, 833px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Migration Logo By Lucasgomezguio &#8211; Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=100222330<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A 33-year-old Venezuelan citizen faces provisional detention in Panama. Authorities accuse him of aggravated fraud and illegal practice of law. The Panama Public Ministry confirmed the charges Thursday. Police arrested the suspect on Tuesday. He now faces four separate cases for these crimes. Investigators say the financial damage exceeds $7,000. The man allegedly targeted Venezuelan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14082,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[4871,4872,50,4870],"class_list":["post-14083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-crime-safety","tag-immigration-scam","tag-immigration-scam-panama","tag-panama","tag-venezuelan-detained-posing-lawyer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14083"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14084,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14083\/revisions\/14084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}