Maine AG sues religious leader in Westbrook, accusing him of exploiting asylum seekers [Video]

Maine’s attorney general is suing a religious leader in Westbrook, accusing him of defrauding immigrants by charging them for legal assistance on their immigration paperwork – often with detrimental mistakes – even though he had no qualifications to offer such advice.

Attorney General Aaron Frey says that Shonda Okonda, 48, has violated state and federal laws governing the “improper provision of legal services to an especially vulnerable population” since 2020.

“Okonda’s conduct is especially reprehensible because his victims are asylum seekers. Not only are asylum seekers particularly vulnerable to exploitation, but they are often afraid to come forward for fear of community or governmental retribution,” the suit states. “Okonda was able to use his power as a religious and community leader to lure asylum seekers into paying him hundreds of dollars for work that he was not authorized or sufficiently skilled to perform, with little fear of being reported.”

Okonda …