WOULD
WOULD HELP THEM BECOME U-S CITIZENS. BUT POLICE SAY THE ROUND ROCK
WOMAN IS A FAKE..
TRICKING PEOPLE INTO THINKING
SHE'S A LAWYER.
WHAT'S REAL IS THE TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SHE
COLLECTED DOING IT.
TONY PLOHETSKI HAS MORE ON THE
CASE THAT'S NOW DRAWING
ATTENTION FROM THE FEDS.
MIKE/QUITA --
MIKE/QUITA -- MARIA DEKAY'S WAS STILL SEEING CLIENTS WHEN WE WENT
TO HER OFFICE ON MAIN STREET IN
ROUND ROCK -- EVEN AFTER
SHE HAD BEEN ARRESTED AND BAILED
OUT OF JAIL.
SHE SAYS SHE HAS NO PLANS TO
CLOSE WHAT SHE CALLED A
LEGITIMATE BUSINESS TO HELP
UNDOCUMENTED
IMMIGRANTS ON A PATH TO
CITIZENSHIP.
IN VIDEO AFTER VIDEO ON-LINE --
MARIA DEKAY IS PROVIDING
ADVICE TO IMMIGRANTS -- AND
TALKS ABOUT HER
DESIRE TO HELP ESPECIALLY THOSE
FROM HER NATIVE
VENEZUELA.
AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES LIKE
LINKEDIN AND INSTAGRAM
-- SHE CALLS HERSELF A "LAWYER."
THIS MAN FLED TO THE U-S A YEAR
AND A HALF AGO WITH
HIS WIFE AND YOUNG SON BECAUSE
OF VENEZUELA'S
POLITICAL CRISIS.
"IT MADE ME DECIDE TO COME TO
THE UNITED STATES WITH A
TOURISM VISA IN MAY 2017 WITH
THE
THE PURPOSE OF LEGALIZING MY STATUS IN THE UNITED STATES LEGALLY THROUGH A POLITICAL
VISA.
HE LEARNED ABOUT DEKAY -- AND HE
PAID HER 18-
HUNDRED DOLLARS TO HELP PROCESS
HIS PAPERWORK
SEEKING POLITICAL ASYLUM FOR HIM
AND HIS FAMILY.
BECAUSE I FEEL TO DO THINGS
RIGHT IN THIS COUNTRY, YOU HAVE
TO ABIDE
BY ALL THE LAWS THAT THE COUNTRY
HAS IN PLACE."
BUT POLICE SAY HE UNKNOWINGLY
HIRED
HIRED SOMEONE TO HELP HIM -- NOT KNOWING SHE LEGALLY COULDN'T. ACCORDING TO AN AFFIDAVIT --
MARIA DEKAY DOES NOT HAVE
A LICENSE TO PRACTICE LAW IN
TEXAS. IN FACT, THE
AFFIDAVIT SAYS SHE HAS FAILED
THE STATE BAR EXAM THREE
TIMES, MAKING IT ILLEGAL FOR HER
TO CALL HERSELF AN
ATTORNEY OR LAWYER OR TO
PRACTICE LAW.
THE AFFIDAVIT SAYS DEKAY ALSO
HAD A FORGED TEXAS
BAR CERTIFICATE AT HER OFFICE
WHEN POLICE
SEARCHED IT LAST WEEK -- AND
THAT SHE TOLD
INVESTIGATORS SHE USES IT TO
QUOTE -- "TO INSPIRE HER TO
ACHIEVE HER VISION" OF BECOMING
A REAL ATTORNEY.
DEKAY IS CHARGED WITH FALSELY
HOLDING
ONESELF OUT AS A LAWYER, A
FELONY FOR WHICH SHE
FACES UP TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON.
THEY ARE TRYING TO PLAY BY OUR
RULES SO THAT THEY CAN STAY IN
OUR COUNTRY. THEY WENT TO HER
SEEKING HER ADVICE AS AN
ATTORNEY
ROUND ROCK POLICE SERGEANT JOHN
ROWE SAYS HE'S
INTERVIEWED ABOUT A DOZEN OF
DEKAY'S CLIENTS. HE
SAYS EACH BELIEVED DEKAY COULD
PROCESS THEIR
APPLICATIONS AND REPRESENT THEM
IN IMMIGRATION
COURT HEARINGS. BUT LEGALLY
POLICE SAY -- SHE CAN'T.
HE SAYS INVESTIGATORS ALSO FOUND
RECORDS
SHOWING DEKAY HAD TAKEN IN
BETWEEN 80 TO 100-THOUSAND
DOLLARS FROM CLIENTS SINCE
OCTOBER OF 2018.
THEY TRUSTED HER. THEY PAID HER
MONEY AND WERE PROMISED
SHE WOULD REPRESENT THEM IN
THEIR IMMIGRATION OR
ASYLUM CASES.
WE WENT TO DEKAY'S OFFICE --
WHERE WE FOUND HER
WORKING -- AND WITH A NEW CLIENT
IN THE WAITING ROOM.
SHE WOULD NOT GO ON CAMERA AND
REFERRED US TO HER
LAWYER. HE DID NOT RETURN OUR
CALLS.
ACCORDING TO THE AFFIDAVIT --
DEKAY DOES HAVE AN
INTERNATIONAL LAW DEGREE FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF
HOUSTON, BUT POLICE SAY THAT
DOES NOT QUALIFY
HER TO PRACTICE LAW.
I STILL DON'T HAVE MY FILE.
THIS CLIENT SAYS DEKAY STILL HAS
CRITICAL
DOCUMENTS HE NEEDS FOR HIS CASE
-- INCLUDING HIS
VENEZUELAN BIRTH CERTIFICATE --
THAT HE HAS
BEEN TRYING TO GET BACK.
I FEEL LIKE MY CASE IS IN LIMBO
-- UP IN THE AIR.
HE IS NOW COOPERATING WITH
POLICE. THE MAN SAYS
HE ALSO HAS HIRED A NEW LAWYER
-- WITH THE HOPES OF
MAKING HIS DREAM OF LEGALLY
BECOMING A U-S
CITIZEN A REALITY.
ROUND ROCK POLICE SAY THEY ARE
STILL INVESTIGATING
AND THAT DEKAY COULD FACE OTHER
CHARGES.
THE FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AND
CUSTOMS AGENCY IS ALSO
GETTING UP TO SPEED ON THIS CASE
AND MAY PURSUE
CHARGES AGAINST DEKAY IN FEDERAL
COURT.
COURT.