ORLANDO, Fla. – Bin Lin came to the United States in 1995 in search of a better life.
He lost his legal visa status several years ago, after trying to go to Canada. When he met Melissa Domato, he thought she could help him legally regain the proper status in the United States.
Lin said he first met Domato in 2009 as Melissa Rosario, a woman who claimed to be an immigration attorney who had ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
He said she promised to help him get a green card and that she could secure legal immigration status for dozens of his friends and family members too.
Lin began giving Domato payments ranging from $2,000 up to $15,000 for the work she was supposedly doing.
He said he paid her $60,000 of his own money but she took around $200,000 total from he and his family members.
He said he handed the payments to Domato's office manager, Sorraya Leon, who would sign off on each receipt.
By the spring of 2011, Lin had seen no results and was frustrated. He said he called Domato several times, and went to her then office in Metrowest to try to speak to her.
According to Lin, that is when Domato's husband started making threats.
"He said I'm gonna come to you. I'm gonna kill you," said the 36-year-old restaurant owner.
In May 2011, Domato was extradited to New Jersey on an arrest warrant for theft by deception. She's accused of taking $25,000 from a man to take care of his immigration paperwork. The arrest warrant indicates that according to that victim, Domato did not provide any services.
Five Central Florida families, not including Lin's, have spoken to Local 6 regarding Domato's alleged scam. Many of them are British citizens who had legal visa status until they sought out the help of Domato.
Natalie Cockerill and her husband, Mark, run a successful real estate business in Orlando and went to Domato to update their visas out of convenience.
"We were completely legal we went to a person we believed to be an immigration attorney she had a position of trust," said Cockerill, who paid Domato $6,000 last year.
They also said Leon handled the processing of the money and the contracts.
Local 6 tried to contact Leon several times for information about Domato's business, but she would not return any phone calls.
Local 6's Mike Holfeld tracked down Leon outside a coffee shop in Kissimmee, but she refused to comment about Domato or her affiliation with the business.
Lin and the Cockerill's are trying to renew their visas under a victims of crime provision on the immigration law.
The Cockerill's said they gave sworn statements to officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement who are reportedly investigating Domato's alleged scam.
A spokesperson for ICE could neither confirm nor deny any ongoing investigation.
The Florida Bar said they recieved a complaint about Domato identifying herself as an attorney in December. They are currently investigating that complaint. A spokesperson for the bar said depending on the outcome of the investigation there could be both criminal and civil actions taken.
The unlicensed practice of law is a third degree felony in Florida.
Domato has a court date in Essex County, New Jersey on Feb. 27. The prosecutor's office there is looking into whether or not she violated the conditions of her bond by returning to Florida after her arrest. As a condition of her bond, she was not supposed to leave New Jersey.
However, alleged victims in Central Florida cliam they met with her in Orlando in the fall. They said they will issue a new warrant for her arrest if it is determined she violated her bond.
Many of Domato's victims said they are now waiting for a law enforcement agency to sign off that they are willing witnesses to this reported crime, so they can get their visa status adjusted.
Local 6 will continue to follow this story.