KANSAS CITY, MO - In a press release, the United States Attorney's Office Western District of Missouri announced that two Mexican nationals in the Kansas City area have been federally charged for their roles in a conspiracy to help illegal immigrants fraudulently obtain visas.
The two men allegedly staged numerous armed robberies so that the purported victims of the crimes, who were immigrants illegally in the United States, could use their status as crime victims to apply for visas. The suspects, 35-year-old Oscar Gutierrez and 36-year-old Jose Luis Morales Salgado, both of whom are citizens of Mexico, were charged in a criminal complaint on Thursday, January 30th.
The criminal complaint charges both men with participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain immigration visas. Gutierrez is already in custody on state charges in a separate case. The complaint alleges that immigrants contacted Salgado to arrange for themselves to become "victims" of staged robberies so they could submit applications for U-Visas, which are granted to crime victims.
These immigrants, who were either illegally in the United States or in the United States legally through work visas, paid Salgado thousands of dollars t participate. In exchange for their money, Salgado directed them to the location of a planned staged robbery on a particular day and time.
Salgado allegedly recruited people to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those involved. One of the persons Salgado recruited to pose as a robber was Gutierrez. The affidavit states that each incident involved immigrants who later told police they had car trouble and pulled over to get out of the car to check the car trouble.
Soon after stopping, another vehicle would arrive and park next to, or in front of the alleged victim's car. The robber, wearing a medical mask over his face and brandishing a firearm, would strike the alleged victims in the head or face, take their cash, and typically fire two rounds into the vehicle.
Investigators with the Kansas City Police Department initially identified 11 incidents in which the reported robberies followed this same pattern. The cases were linked to each other on leads generated from the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, which uses ballistic imaging technology to compare cartridge case markings on the expended cartridges from each crime scene.
Detectives then determined there was likely one firearm used in the commission of all the robberies. The affidavit says that detectives gathered information from city cameras and license plate readers to identify the vehicle used in the robberies, which led them to Gutierrez.
Salgado also allegedly instructed the immigrants to falsely report to law enforcement how the robberies occurred and advised them on how to make the false reports in an effort to bolster their applications for U-Visas. According to the press released, "The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute certain crimes while also protecting victims of crimes who are willing to help law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity."
Additionally, "Foreign nationals are eligible for a U-Visa if they were the victim of qualifying criminal activity, suffered substantial physical or mental abuse, and were likely to be helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of a crime." A source told investigators that the number or purported victims involved in this particular scheme was well over 100.
The complaint specifically cites 11 robberies involving 33 purported victims that occurred as part of the conspiracy between December 29, 2021, and July 13, 2024. Of those 33 immigrants, 18 have submitted U-Visa applications claiming to be victims of violent crimes.
The two men allegedly staged numerous armed robberies so that the purported victims of the crimes, who were immigrants illegally in the United States, could use their status as crime victims to apply for visas. The suspects, 35-year-old Oscar Gutierrez and 36-year-old Jose Luis Morales Salgado, both of whom are citizens of Mexico, were charged in a criminal complaint on Thursday, January 30th.
The criminal complaint charges both men with participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain immigration visas. Gutierrez is already in custody on state charges in a separate case. The complaint alleges that immigrants contacted Salgado to arrange for themselves to become "victims" of staged robberies so they could submit applications for U-Visas, which are granted to crime victims.
These immigrants, who were either illegally in the United States or in the United States legally through work visas, paid Salgado thousands of dollars t participate. In exchange for their money, Salgado directed them to the location of a planned staged robbery on a particular day and time.
Salgado allegedly recruited people to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those involved. One of the persons Salgado recruited to pose as a robber was Gutierrez. The affidavit states that each incident involved immigrants who later told police they had car trouble and pulled over to get out of the car to check the car trouble.
Soon after stopping, another vehicle would arrive and park next to, or in front of the alleged victim's car. The robber, wearing a medical mask over his face and brandishing a firearm, would strike the alleged victims in the head or face, take their cash, and typically fire two rounds into the vehicle.
Investigators with the Kansas City Police Department initially identified 11 incidents in which the reported robberies followed this same pattern. The cases were linked to each other on leads generated from the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, which uses ballistic imaging technology to compare cartridge case markings on the expended cartridges from each crime scene.
Detectives then determined there was likely one firearm used in the commission of all the robberies. The affidavit says that detectives gathered information from city cameras and license plate readers to identify the vehicle used in the robberies, which led them to Gutierrez.
Salgado also allegedly instructed the immigrants to falsely report to law enforcement how the robberies occurred and advised them on how to make the false reports in an effort to bolster their applications for U-Visas. According to the press released, "The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute certain crimes while also protecting victims of crimes who are willing to help law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity."
Additionally, "Foreign nationals are eligible for a U-Visa if they were the victim of qualifying criminal activity, suffered substantial physical or mental abuse, and were likely to be helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of a crime." A source told investigators that the number or purported victims involved in this particular scheme was well over 100.
The complaint specifically cites 11 robberies involving 33 purported victims that occurred as part of the conspiracy between December 29, 2021, and July 13, 2024. Of those 33 immigrants, 18 have submitted U-Visa applications claiming to be victims of violent crimes.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments