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March 16, 1999 LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The U.S. Attorney's office said Tuesday 29 people were in custody after a 2 1/2-year investigation of an immigration fraud ring. The sting, dubbed "Operation Eastern Approach," outlines a plan in which Bahram Tabatabai, an Encino, California, businessman, helped clients in the Middle East and Europe file fraudulent documents supporting visa applications. U.S. Attorney Alejandro Mayorkas said some of Tabatabai's clients have been identified as members and associates of the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK, an Iran-based group believed to have been involved in the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979 and numerous other violent incidents around the world. Mayorkas said the investigation continues and said that further information would be released at a later date. Other U.S. Attorney's spokespersons said there is no evidence that any terrorist activity was underway. Related sites US Immigration and Naturalization Service Home
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