Wisconsin Man Charged in Plot to Frame Immigrant for Threatening Former President Trump

Attorney for Ramon Morales Reyes, Cain Oulahan, addresses the press

A Wisconsin man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly forging a letter threatening former President Donald Trump’s life in a scheme to have a potential witness against him deported.

Demetric D. Scott has been charged with felony witness intimidation, identity theft, and two counts of bail jumping after prosecutors say he created and mailed a fake death threat letter, making it appear as though it came from 54-year-old Ramón Morales Reyes. The letter was sent to both state and federal officials and used Morales Reyes’ name and return address.

Morales Reyes, a Milwaukee dishwasher and father of three, was arrested by immigration agents on May 21 shortly after dropping his child off at school. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly announced the arrest, claiming Morales Reyes had confessed to threatening Trump and planned to “self-deport” to Mexico. The White House also posted the letter and a photo of Morales Reyes on its official social media accounts.

A handwritten letter that Homeland Security Secretary, Krisiti Noem claimed was written my an immigrant threatening the president

However, the case quickly unraveled. Investigators discovered that Morales Reyes speaks limited English and obtained handwriting samples from him that didn’t match those in the threatening letter. Court documents reveal that Morales Reyes is actually a victim in the case tied to Scott, who is currently in Milwaukee County Jail awaiting trial for armed robbery and aggravated battery. That trial is scheduled for July.

While in custody, Scott made several jailhouse phone calls discussing plans to have someone deported so that his upcoming trial could be dismissed. According to the criminal complaint, Scott instructed others on mailing the forged letters and later admitted to writing them.

Kristi Noem

Morales Reyes had recently applied for a U visa, which is granted to undocumented immigrants who become victims of serious crimes and assist law enforcement in investigations. His immigration attorney, Kime Abduli, confirmed that the visa application had been filed and expressed relief that Morales Reyes had been exonerated in the letter-writing plot.

Deportation defense attorney Cain Oulahan said the focus now is securing Morales Reyes’ release from immigration custody. While a U visa remains pending, Oulahan noted that those applications are severely backlogged and said they are exploring other legal options to allow Morales Reyes to remain in the U.S. with his wife and three U.S. citizen children.

Scott remains in custody as his criminal trial approaches, now facing additional charges tied to the elaborate scheme.