Woman found guilty of fraud

PASADENA — A Superior Court judge on Friday found a 49-year-old South Pasadena woman guilty of posing as an immigration consultant to defraud five Glendale residents who were trying to obtain residency status.

Pasadena Superior Court Judge Janice Croft found Aileen Sevajian guilty on all seven counts — six of which were felony grand theft charges — and a misdemeanor count of posing as an immigration consultant. Sevajian chose a bench trial, meaning the judge, and not a jury, decided her fate.

“I found beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty,” Croft said.

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy immediately handcuffed Sevajian, who had been out on bail.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Melanie Buccat said she was pleased with the judge’s decision.

“We filed this case in 2005,” she said. “It’s been four years.”

Sevajian stole more than $60,000 from five Glendale residents, whom she promised to help gain residency in the United States while assisting them with immigration papers for family members living abroad, Glendale Sgt. Tigran Topadzhikyan said.

Police were tipped off to Sevajian’s scam in 2005 after a man reported that he had paid her to complete and organize residency papers for his cousin in Argentina, he said. The man told police Sevajian took his payment but never finished her end of the bargain.

Police launched a probe into Sevajian’s operation, discovering that she was not a licensed immigration consultant, Topadzhikyan said.

Once the investigation was underway, more victims came forward, alleging that they too had been swindled by Sevajian, who had targeted immigrants in the Armenian community, he said.

Some victims had borrowed and saved to pay between a few thousand dollars and $30,000 for her services, Topadzhikyan said.

Most victims had sought advice from immigration attorneys, who referred them to Sevajian to assist them with their residency status, Topadzhikyan said.

“The victims in this case had agreed to deal directly with her,” he said.

Sevajian apparently tried to gain their trust by visiting her clients’ homes and promising to do everything she could to help them become U.S. residents, he said, while claiming that she was in the process of getting her law degree.

“She gets victims to believe in her,” Topadzhikyan said. “There was a lot of trust.”