FILE: San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu speaks during a meeting on March 30, 2023. Chiu’s office announced a $4.5 million settlement with staffing platform WorkWhile over alleged misclassification of delivery drivers. (Olivia Wynkoop/Bay City News)

City Attorney David Chiu has announced that his office has filed legal action against an immigration consulting business for continuing to unlawfully offer immigration services in violation of court orders. 

Leonard Lacayo and Lacayo & Associates, a notary public with no license to practice law, are accused of defying a 2017 court injunction that barred him from providing immigration-related legal services, the City Attorney’s office said. 

Despite multiple court rulings and a $5,000 penalty imposed in 2022, Lacayo allegedly continued to charge vulnerable immigrants for unauthorized services, putting many at risk of losing their legal rights. 

“Once again, Leonard Lacayo has demonstrated zero regard for the law or the immigrant communities he purports to serve,” Chiu said in a statement on Friday. 

The city’s motion, filed Wednesday, seeks to extend the injunction against Lacayo through September 2032 and impose further penalties and attorney’s fees. 

Lacayo & Associates has operated in San Francisco since 1986, a press release issued Friday noted.  

Additionally, the California State Bar has issued three cease-and-desist letters to Lacayo, who has never been registered as an immigration consultant or licensed attorney. 

The City Attorney’s Office gathered evidence over the past year showing Lacayo continues to violate the court’s order.