NEW YORK AP – A convicted bigamist posing as a veteran immigration lawyer scammed thousands of dollars from Guyanese immigrants and gave them advice so bad they now face deportation, prosecutors said Thursday.

Wilmer Rivera Melendez promised green cards but pursued avenues that would never yield them, changed his phone number to evade his “clients” when they started asking questions and even startled some by proposing they marry him in order to get legal residency, prosecutors said.