The Fortunate Accident

The area around downtown Los Angeles is known for its violence, sexual exploitation, greed, and "empty dreams." The goal for most is to out-hustle the next guy before he can hustle you.


Alberto is an immigrant, and a notario, a member of the Hispanic community who reads, writes, and speaks English, as well as speaking Spanish. Notarios generally help immigrants translate documents and fill out forms. In Mexico and other places where Spanish is spoken some notarios are considered lawyers.


Alberto is both crafty and charismatic, and a man of importance in the Hispanic community. He hosts a weekly radio show catering to the undocumented population, owns a law office, and has an extensive following in the immigrant community where he enjoys celebrity.


He has risen to notoriety by developing a business, marketing fictitious legal services to immigrants at exorbitant prices, where the legal fees he demands can never be paid off. He sells non-existent services guaranteed to legalize one's immigration status, acquit those charged with crimes, and collect government benefits for those who are not entitled.


Alberto handpicks lawyers who are incompetent, unsuccessful, or of questionable character to maintain his faade, as well as those who have become indebted to him, and must do his bidding no matter how fraudulent. In order to build his fortune and maintain his status he must crush anybody that gets in his way.


As the law closes in on him for his professional and personal misconduct, he orchestrates another desperate scheme to survive and increase his income, with fatal consequences.