Man convicted in Wisconsin for impersonating federal officer, wire fraud
(WFRV) – Gregory J. Haanstad, a United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced Tuesday that a Utah man was sentenced to 15 months of federal prison.
38-year-old Juan Carlos Martinez-Napoles was convicted of impersonating a federal officer and wire fraud.
According to court documents, between September 2018 and December 2019, Martinez-Napoles reportedly portrayed himself as an immigration agent and reported to victims that he could help them become legal citizens for a fee.
He induced three Wisconsin families to pay him roughly $45,000 for his services. He also threatened to deport members of a family if they didn’t pay him.
“Fraudulently posing as a USCIS agent, Mr. Martinez-Napoles took advantage of vulnerable individuals, whom he convinced to pay a total of over $45,000 for his ‘help,’” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “In reality, he was simply lying to these individuals to line his own pockets. And when a victim questioned his activities, Mr. Martinez-Napoles even threatened to have the victim’s family deported.”
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The investigation was led by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Milwaukee Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Ladwig.
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