Man convicted of impersonating a federal officer and wire fraud

Juan Carlos Martinez-Napoles, 38, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 months in federal prison for impersonating a federal officer and wire fraud, according to Gregory J. Haanstad, United States attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

“Pretending to be a government official, as Martinez-Napoles did, in order to exploit and harass others is intolerable,” Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago said Wednesday.

“HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold such criminals accountable for their crimes,” Fitzgerald added.

Martinez-Napoles was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims of the crime and serve two years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Court documents allege that between September 2018 and December 2019, Martinez-Napoles posed as an immigration agent with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and falsely represented to numerous victims that he could help them obtain legal status in United States States for a fee.

During his scheme, Martinez-Napoles tricked three Wisconsin families into paying him approximately $45,000 in exchange for his “services.” He also threatened to deport members of one family if they did not pay him significant contributions.

During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Pamela Pepper discussed the serious nature of the crime and the need to deter the defendant and others from engaging in this type of fraud.

“By fraudulently impersonating 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,'” Haanstad said.

“In reality, he simply lied to these people to line his own pockets. And when the victim questioned his activities, Mr. Martinez-Napoles even threatened deportation to the victim’s family. “I applaud the hard work of all who helped bring Mr. Martinez-Napoles to justice, and I applaud the victims’ willingness to cooperate with legitimate federal authorities in this case,” Haanstad added.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Chicago Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Milwaukee Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Ladwig.