Home / Crime and Justice / Immigrant Advocate Faces Contempt Charges
Immigrant Advocate Faces Contempt Charges
2 Apr
Summary
- Advocate accused of practicing law without a license.
- He allegedly defrauded immigrant car buyers out of $1,500.
- Judge warns of contempt and sanctions for his actions.
A federal judge in Dallas has indicated that an advocate for immigrant auto buyers may face contempt charges for allegedly practicing law without a license. Francisco Aguirre, who represented himself as a jailhouse lawyer, is accused of defrauding customers by charging them $1,500 to help reduce their loan balances with the bankrupt subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings.
US Bankruptcy Judge Michelle V. Larson stated that Aguirre and his assistant defrauded Tricolor borrowers, increasing the cost of the bankruptcy case. Larson previously rejected several motions filed by Aguirre's firm, Beyond Attorneys. Aguirre, who has a prior fraud conviction, was recently arrested for violating probation terms.
Aguirre allegedly found clients through Spanish-language TikTok videos, telling them they did not need to pay Tricolor and that he could erase their debt. Customers testified that he provided scripts for dealing with loan collectors. The US Trustee presented Arizona State Bar records showing Aguirre admitted to the unauthorized practice of law and was permanently barred from such conduct on December 11, 2025.
Federal officials are examining nearly 40,000 allegedly fake loans made by Tricolor, which collapsed amid fraud allegations. Lenders claim the company used vehicles as collateral multiple times and inflated its loan portfolio value. This has created uncertainty about who should receive payments from Tricolor borrowers.
