Federal and local law enforcement say a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, man attempted to manipulate the U.S. immigration system to derail a criminal trial by forging letters threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump.
According to investigators, the letters were written to appear as if they came from an illegal immigrant scheduled to testify against the man in an armed robbery case.
Demetric D. Scott, 52, was charged with felony witness intimidation, identity theft and two counts of bail jumping.
Prosecutors allege Scott sent handwritten letters to multiple government agencies in May, posing as illegal immigrant Ramón Morales Reyes, to trigger Reyes’ deportation and prevent him from testifying in Scott’s upcoming July trial, NBC News reports.
The letters, which were sent to the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office, Milwaukee Police Chief and the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, included violent threats against Trump and immigration officials.
They were written in blue ink and focused heavily on immigration policy, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities say Reyes was arrested on May 22 after the letters were traced to him through the return address.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem publicly praised ICE for apprehending the man alleged to have threatened