Church immigration aide gets prison for defrauding people

An immigrant who worked for the Roman Catholic Church in Kalamazoo has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for stealing fees from other immigrants. The government says Monica Mazei concealed the scheme by failing to open files for certain people and persuading them to give cash or blank checks. Mazei was ordered to pay $59,000 to her victims Monday, four months after pleading guilty to fraud. She worked in the Kalamazoo Diocese’s immigration assistance program. Mazei is a native of Ecuador who became a naturalized U.S. citizen.  (AP)