Bail bond firm duped immigrants into wearing "shackles" and paying to have them removed, feds say
By Stephen Gandel
February 22, 2021 / 6:43 PM
/ MoneyWatch
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleges a company duped U.S. immigrants into wearing electronic tracking bracelets and paying thousands of dollars in fees in hopes of getting them removed.
A lawsuit announced by the agency on Monday, which was joined by the attorneys general of Massachusetts, New York and Virginia, says that the company, Libre by Nexus, for years has been "preying on" immigrants held in federal detention centers. According to the complaint, Libre's primary business is offering to put up the money detainees need — often nearly $10,000 — as a bond to gain release while they wait for a trial, which can often take as long as three years.