Ex-lawyer sentenced for role in marriage scam

NORFOLK

A former lawyer and Filipino-American community leader was sentenced Monday to three years of probation with six months of home detention after admitting that he helped arrange a phony marriage between clients.

Maxime A. Frias, 55, who practiced law for 30 years with an unblemished record, apologized to his family and the community.

"I'm truly sorry for the transgressions I've committed," he said before U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Friedman and a courtroom packed with more than 75 supporters.

Frias and his attorney offered no explanation for why he committed the crime. Federal prosecutors believe it was out of greed.

"What was it for? It was for money," Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. DePadilla told the judge.

Frias, of Virginia Beach, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements to federal officials.

He admitted helping a man and woman arrange a phony marriage in order for the husband, an illegal immigrant, to get a green card and stay in the country, and then lying to an immigration judge.

Friedman also imposed a $7,500 fine and 75 hours of community service.

Although he granted Frias leniency, the judge said he remained "baffled" by the motivation for the crime: "It's just very perplexing to this court."

Frias could have faced a year to 18 months in prison. He has already lost his law license. His attorney, Franklin Swartz, argued that Frias deserved probation given his lifetime of community service.

DePadilla asked for a sentence of around a year in prison, to send a message.

"This is not an isolated incident," DePadilla told the judge.

In the end, the judge appeared swayed after reading more than 70 letters of support - the most Friedman said he had ever received for a defendant - as well as testimony from six supporters and Frias' unmarked background.

Marilyn Rivera of Virginia Beach, who has worked with Frias on Filipino celebrations, noted his "passion for community involvement." Others testified about Frias' volunteer work with youths and his involvement in Operation Smile.

The supporters in the courtroom erupted in applause after the judge handed down the sentence.

The Frias case began as a routine marriage fraud investigation.

The phony wife of an illegal immigrant told authorities that Frias, who handled the legal papers of the marriage, "was aware of the fraudulent marriage and was an active participant in the conspiracy," according to a prosecutor's court filing.

Immigration agents who suspected the marriage was a sham warned Frias not to help the man and woman, but he did anyway. After his arrest, he admitted committing the crime.

Tim McGlone, (757) 446-2343, tim.mcglone@pilotonline.com