A suspended Houston immigration lawyer now facing federal fraud charges was previously sued by an engineering company and five employees who accused her of accepting more than $100,000 for immigration work she never completed.

In February 2024, a Harris County judge entered a final default judgment against Alla Nowowiejski after finding that she falsely claimed to have submitted immigration applications and provided clients with fabricated or forged documents appearing to come from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The court ordered Nowowiejski to pay Audubon Engineering Operations and its five employees a combined $283,855. 84 in damages and attorneys' fees, excluding interest and court costs.