Following her conviction today, Flora Mendes, an Indian national aged 45, has had assets exceeding £700,000 seized by the Home Office. Mendes, who had already been banned from practising law due to a prior conviction, was found guilty of deceiving individuals into believing they were engaging with a legitimate immigration lawyer. She falsely promised to assist them in obtaining leave to remain in the UK.
Instead of fulfilling her promises, Mendes submitted fraudulent applications that had no chance of success, all in exchange for financial gain. At St Albans Crown Court, she was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years. The Home Office identified the fraudulent applications and initiated an investigation, ultimately linking 19 bogus applications to Mendes.
The presiding Judge emphasized Mendes’s history of repeat offenses when delivering the hefty sentence. Previously, in 2015, Mendes had been disbarred as a solicitor for providing immigration advice while suspended from practising law. Despite lacking a license and having a criminal record, she persisted in attempting to manipulate the immigration system for personal profit.
Commenting on the sentencing, Michael Tomlinson MP, Minister for Illegal Migration, underscored the government’s commitment to dismantling networks aiding illegal migrants. He reiterated that individuals suspected of exploiting the immigration system for financial gain would face swift justice. The Home Office, in collaboration with regulators, industry bodies, and law enforcement, is intensifying efforts to prosecute such offenders.
To bolster these efforts, a new Professional Enablers Taskforce was established in August 2023. This action is part of a broader national initiative by the Home Office to combat illegal migration, evidenced by a 68% increase in enforcement visits and more than doubled arrests in the previous year. Additionally, returns of individuals lacking the right to reside in the UK rose to 26,000.
Detentions have commenced this week in preparation for the first flights to Rwanda within 9 to 11 weeks. The government’s Rwanda plan aims to deter vulnerable migrants from undertaking perilous journeys across the Channel and ensure that those entering the UK illegally cannot remain.
Andrew Radcliffe, from the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations team, commended the stringent sentencing as a result of targeted efforts to crack down on unregulated advisers. He urged the public to report any potential intelligence to aid in further investigations.