Ex-consulate worker accused in scam

HOUSTON Maria Hurtado had been a contract worker for the Colombian consulate until she was fired in 2008 after unlawfully charging illegal immigrants for legal help so that they could obtain green cards and documents to become citizens.

Major Michael Wong with the Criminal Investigations Bureau explained, "She bilked more than $100,000 from more than a dozen people -- people seeking her immigration services, services that she was not authorized to provide."

All of the 25 cases filed with the Harris County Sheriff's office happened in 2008. Hurtado is a Colombian national who has been legally living in Houston.