Charges dropped against woman in Nathan Cooper case

The Philippine-born businesswoman accused of selling immigration documents to former state representative Nathan Cooper won't face federal charges.

Federal prosecutors last week filed to dismiss the single felony count in the indictment against Omega Paulite, who was arrested in Seattle in August soon after Cooper pleaded guilty to two felony counts of immigration fraud.

A message left at the U.S. attorney's office in St. Louis seeking comment on the dismissal was not returned. Paulite, who was represented by the St. Louis law firm of Bryan Cave LLP, had been fighting the charges with the claim that her actions did not break the law.

Paulite was accused of selling "notice of approval" documents for workers entering the United States under a guest worker program for seasonal or temporary workers. Cooper admitted obtaining visas for foreign truck drivers engaged in permanent employment under the seasonal worker program and to establishing shell companies to hide their true employers. But Paulite attorney Gabriel Gore filed paperwork claiming that the law doesn't bar Paulite from selling approval notices.

The approval notices themselves, Gore argued, are not documents required for entry into the United States. The approval notices are sent to prospective employers who seek to hire foreign workers, he wrote. Foreign workers must obtain the work visa or other document that allows them entry into the country.

Another factor in Paulite's favor, Gore wrote, is that she sold the documents to Cooper, who at the time was a practicing immigration lawyer who regularly dealt with such documents. To convict, Gore wrote in the court filing, the sale would have had to be to someone not authorized to receive the documents.

Cooper, who pleaded guilty Aug. 9, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 21. He is expected to receive a term of 30 to 37 months in federal prison.

Cooper, a Republican, resigned his House seat Aug. 14 and has had his law license suspended by the Missouri Supreme Court.

The special election to fill the remainder of Cooper's term in office will be held Feb. 5.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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