Sung H. Lee, 31, of Georgia, stole more than $100,000, a prosecutor alleged.
Sung H. Lee (BCPO) PALISADES PARK - A Georgia man masqueraded as a military law officer to defraud a local family seeking permanent resident alien status in the United States, according to Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal.
Sung H. Lee, 31, of Buford, Ga., persuaded members of the family to give him more than $100,000, the prosecutor said.
The money was to be used to assist family members with their immigration status, Grewal said in a statement.
Lee approached the family and identified himself as a military officer who was working on loan to both the FBI and the Palisades Park Police Department, the prosecutor said.
"Mr. Lee presented himself as an individual who could utilize his connections to obtain permanent resident alien status for the (family members)," Grewal said.
Lee created fraudulent documents that indicated he was associated with a United States-based learning center that could legally sponsor the immigration applications, Grewal said.
In order to process the applications, Lee collected more than $100,000 from the family, Grewal said.
"The fees were never returned and there were no applications processed," the prosecutor alleged.
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A family member approached Palisades Park police in March to complain about the scam, the prosecutor said.
An investigation ensued and Lee was arrested Tuesday.
Lee was charged with theft by deception, impersonating a law-enforcement officer and unauthorized practice of immigration law, Grewal said.
Lee was held on $75,000 full bail pending a July court hearing.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.