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HAPPY ENDING
  Atty.
Michael J. Gurfinkel untangled a family's web of lies and fake
documentation, and helped Violeta (left) get a green card. Violeta
was registered by her biological mother, Edna (second from left),
falsely declaring in the birth certificate that Edna was married
to Violeta's father because Edna was worried that Violeta would
have a tough time growing up as an illegitimate child in the conservative
environment of the Philippines. But grandmother Maria (second
from right) was also concerned about her daughter Edna's future.
So, the grandmother decided to make it appear that Violeta was
her "own" daughter, by filing a fake birth certificate,
making her the "biological" mother. And so, mother Edna
became the "sister." After several years, grandmother
Maria became an immigrant, and petitioned for granddaughter Violeta
as her biological daughter. The Embassy got suspicious. Mother
Edna and grandmother Maria went to another attorney, who advised
them to switch blood samples for the DNA testing required by the
Embassy. Atty. Gurfinkel advised them to stop the web of lies
and tell the truth. Atty. Gurfinkel successfully explained the
truth to the INS and the U.S. Embassy. Edna, as the real mother
(who was a U.S. citizen), petitioned her daughter. Mother and
daughter were finally reunited, just two days before Violeta's
21st birthday, ending more than 15 years of separation.
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