By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com
Iosif Caza, an interpreter who insists he was caught up in a zeal to help fellow Romanians escape the persecution of their homeland, was sentenced Monday in Sacramento federal court to 7 1/2 years in prison for his role in duping authorities to grant scores of them asylum based on false documents and testimony.
Caza, a 43-year-old bear of a man, worked with attorneys at a now-defunct Sacramento law firm, three of whom were sentenced Friday to prison. He, like two of the lawyers, was taken into custody immediately.
The years-long fraud case sent shock waves through the government's immigration apparatus. The Department of Homeland Security is working to correct the flaws in the asylum system exposed by the investigation and prosecution, while at the same time reviewing a mountain of cases that were handled by the Sekhon & Sekhon firm.
U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. was angry about Caza's view of himself as a savior of his people, especially as he expressed that view in a Bee article published Friday.
"We don't need heroes like him," the judge told Caza and his lawyer, Assistant Federal Defender Timothy Zindel, on Monday.
Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.
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