A Miami woman with a history of running financial schemes has been accused of posing as an immigration attorney in a new fraud case, authorities said.
In July 2025, officers received a report of fraud committed by a person posing as an immigration attorney.
The victim was seeking “legal assistance after her husband was detained by immigration authorities,” police said in a news release. A distant relative provided the victim with contact information for the suspect, Maria de Lourdes Van-Caneghem, who allegedly claimed to be an attorney.
Police said the suspect was paid $1,400 for her services in money orders, but the victim’s attempts at asking for official proof of payment went unanswered.
An online search revealed “Van-Caneghem’s extensive history of fraud-related arrests” and authorities were contacted.
Miami Police Financial Crimes Detail assumed the investigation and identified the 50-year-old Van-Caneghem as the suspect.
Van-Caneghem has been in jail since September 2025, after she was arrested for allegedly posing as an immigration officer while stealing thousands of dollars from people seeking U.S. citizenship.
And Van-Caneghem had also been arrested in 2022, after authorities said she stole nearly $119,000 from separate families after running a fraudulent travel agency and selling fake airline tickets to both Cuba and Nicaragua.
The Miami Police Department wants anyone who may have been affected by similar fraud schemes to notify law enforcement.
