Opinion ID: 2686852
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: In February 2012, The Florida Bar filed a complaint against Russell-Love, alleging that she engaged in misconduct in violation of Bar rule 4-8.4(c) (a lawyer shall not engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation). A referee was appointed to consider the matter. Following a hearing, the referee submitted his report for the Court’s review, in which he makes the following findings and recommendations. Russell-Love and the Bar entered into a Joint Pretrial Stipulation in this case, stipulating to most of the relevant, material facts. In September 2009, RussellLove was retained by a client, a citizen of the Bahamas; Russell-Love is also of Bahamian descent, and the referee found she is a “distant cousin” of the client. Russell-Love was hired to assist the client in securing a P-1 visa, a type of visa that would allow the client to legally enter the United States to participate in professional tennis tournaments held by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). In December 2009, Russell-Love prepared and submitted a form I-129 (Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker) to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of the client; she also submitted a form G-28 (Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Representative). Following her submission, Russell-Love was notified by USCIS that the petition was insufficient, and that the name of the organization sponsoring the -2- tournament was needed. She contacted the client and learned that the tournament was sponsored by USTA. Accordingly, in February 2010, Russell-Love sent a letter to USTA, requesting that the organization provide a letter confirming that the client was expected to participate in several tournaments in the United States. On March 24, 2010, Russell-Love received a letter from Idelle Pierre-Louis, a USTA employee, stating: [The client] has requested a letter that will assist her in obtaining a Visa to enable travel to the United States to participate in professional tennis tournaments. This letter is meant just to inform the consular office that the player has requested to play the event and should not be considered as an endorsement. (Emphasis added.) The following day, Russell-Love prepared and submitted to USCIS an amended form I-129. The referee found that Russell-Love knowingly and deliberately listed the USTA as the “Company or Organization” filing the form. She listed her law office address as the contact address for the USTA. She also hand wrote Ms. Pierre-Louis’s name in the petitioner’s signature line. The signature portion of the form required the petitioner to “certify, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America, that this petition and the evidence submitted with it is all true and correct. If filing this on behalf of an organization, I certify that I am empowered to do so by that organization.” -3- Russell-Love testified that she was not empowered by the USTA to file any documents on its behalf. Russell-Love also prepared and submitted an amended form G-28. On this form, Russell-Love listed USTA in the space designated for the “Principal Petitioner, Applicant, or Respondent.” She again hand wrote Ms. Pierre-Louis’s name in the portion of the form designated for the petitioner’s signature. She also signed the form, declaring under penalty of perjury that the information provided was true and correct. Russell-Love admitted that the manner in which she completed the form G-28 indicated that she was the attorney appearing on behalf of the USTA. However, the referee did find it was of “some significance” that Russell-Love attached the March 24, 2010, letter from USTA, and she submitted a separate cover letter that identified her as the attorney representing the client. In April 2010, USCIS issued a Notice of Action, indicating that the client was approved for a P-1 visa. The Notice lists the “Petitioner” as the USTA, and the “Beneficiary” as the client. After receiving the P-1 visa, the client had some concerns about the short period of time that was allowed for her travel to the United States, and she contacted a United States Customs and Border Protection Officer for clarification. The officer asked the client to send him a copy of the immigration forms she submitted to USCIS. Upon reviewing the forms, the officer discovered that the -4- signature on the forms attributed to Ms. Pierre-Louis did not match the signature on the March 24, 2010, USTA letter. The officer then contacted USTA. On May 13, 2010, USTA responded in a letter stating: “[P]lease be advised that the USTA did not agree to petition for [the client], the USTA did not pay any applications fees for [the client’s] immigration petition and Ms. Pierre-Louis did not sign the Form I-129 included with your letter.” Based on his investigation, the customs officer reported the filing of false immigration documents to a USCIS field officer in the United States Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica. Ultimately, the client was charged with violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and Russell-Love was referred to The Florida Bar. The USCIS field officer testified that the client is now subject to “permanent inadmissibility” from the United States; the client may seek a waiver to allow her to enter the country, although the referee found this is a “burdensome and expensive process.” Based on these factual findings, the referee recommends that Russell-Love be found guilty of violating Bar rule 4-8.4(c) (a lawyer shall not engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation). The referee found that Russell-Love violated the rule by: misrepresenting that she was the attorney for USTA; misrepresenting that USTA was petitioning for a visa on behalf of the -5- client; and by printing the name of a USTA employee on the signature line in the I- 129 and G-28 forms. The referee did not find any aggravating factors in this case. He did find four mitigating factors: the absence of a prior disciplinary record; inexperience in the practice of law; character or reputation; and remorse. The referee also noted that Russell-Love was “overwhelmed in her personal life with her ailing parents, marital discord . . . (which necessarily also involved her young child) and difficulties involving other family members.” However, the referee found that the stress created by her personal hardships was not sufficient to excuse her misconduct. As to the sanction, the referee recommends that Russell-Love be suspended from the practice of law for ten days. The referee awarded costs to The Florida Bar, in the amount of $2,855.91. As noted, Russell-Love sought review of the referee’s report. She challenges the referee’s findings of fact, recommendation as to guilt, and the recommended ten-day suspension.