SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is warning immigrant communities and taking legal steps to shut down what he calls a “predatory immigration consulting business” run by Leonard Lacayo and his company, Lacayo & Associates.
The city has filed a motion to enforce a court order that bars Lacayo and his business from offering immigration-related legal services.
“Lacayo has spent years pretending to be a lawyer, tricking immigrants into paying for bogus legal help and putting their rights at serious risk,” Chiu’s office said in a statement.
Although Lacayo is a notary public, officials confirmed he has never been licensed to practice law.
Back in 2017, a judge ordered Lacayo to stop offering immigration legal services and to pay restitution to affected clients. But city officials say he has repeatedly ignored court orders and continued operating illegally.
“Once again, Leonard Lacayo has shown no respect for the law or for the immigrant communities he claims to help,” Chiu said on Friday. “He’s taken advantage of vulnerable people, charging them for services he isn’t qualified to provide, and putting their legal status in danger—especially now, during a time of widespread deportations and fear.”
Chiu stressed that immigration services are in high demand, but warned that Lacayo is not legally allowed to provide any such help. “We’re moving to stop this scam once and for all,” he said.
The crackdown comes as immigration enforcement has intensified. At San Francisco Immigration Court, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have recently detained people. If federal lawyers drop a migrant’s case, ICE agents waiting nearby can make immediate arrests and begin deportation proceedings.
Investigators believe Lacayo deceived hundreds of people by charging them to handle complicated and sensitive immigration cases.
Despite the previous court ban, Lacayo has continued meeting with clients, according to Chiu’s office. Over the past year, city investigators gathered evidence—including sworn statements, financial records, depositions, and documents. An undercover investigator also met with Lacayo and received immigration services from him, confirming ongoing violations.
The city’s latest motion, filed on June 18, asks the court to reinforce and expand the injunction against Lacayo and his business.
