By admin 
A Southern California immigration business was seized under a court order for allegedly practicing law without a license after a client complained that the company misrepresented its services and overcharged her.
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The client contacted the North American Immigration Center in Chino seeking help for two friends held at an immigration detention center, according to , which announced the seizure Monday.
The company, incorporated in 2018 by Wendy Dong, also known as Christine Dunn and Wenli Dunn, charged the client $6,000, the State Bar said. But when the client, Xiuying Zhu, complained about the services, Dong sent her another bill for $1,500, along with a letter purportedly signed by an attorney.
Zhu filed a complaint with the State Bar against the attorney, but investigators discovered he had neither written nor signed the letter. The lawyer had advised Dong but had not worked on Zhu’s case or authorized Dong to bill her under his name, court documents showed.
“I categorically deny all the claims and in fact, have never heard of the claimant,” the lawyer wrote in response to a State Bar investigator’s inquiry, according to the court documents.
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The investigation then focused on Dong, who is not licensed to practice law in California, the State Bar said. In a complaint filed in San Bernardino County Superior Court, investigators included screenshots of Dong’s website, which advertised assistance with student and work visas, family immigration matters, deportation proceedings and other immigration services.
The State Bar obtained a court order to take control of the business Oct. 1 and carried out the seizure the following day, the agency said. Investigators confiscated 14 boxes of client files, three USB drives and two computers.
“Ms. Dong advertised legal services, including deportation defense, without a license, and when clients asked for their money back, she responded with a bigger bill and a letter falsely bearing an attorney’s signature,” State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona said in a news release. “Seizing this practice protects clients and keeps others from being harmed.”
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Dong could not immediately be reached for comment.