Thread: TX: ICE impersonator targets undocumented immigrants

ICE impersonator targets undocumented immigrants
Updated: 8/1/2008 6:49:56 PM
By: Heidi Zhou


Police said Roberto Diosdado went to the South Point Village apartments in south Austin with a convincing offer for some residents: legal immigration status in exchange for $10,000.

"He has a magnetic sign that he puts on the car door, showing homeland defense and their emblem,"Detective Steve Dominguez, Austin Police Dept., said.

Police labeled Diosdado as a Mexican con-artist in the United States illegally.

"Him being a Mexican national, he is doing this to his fellow country, countrymen and country-women," Dominguez said. "I find that very disturbing. I find that offensive."

One family of victims came forward, via the Mexican Consulate. Police said the family paid Diosdado $13,000 to have their two children legally brought to the U.S.

"When he called them the last time to get money he said, 'Everything is ready. Have your family come to Laredo, Texas, at the border.' And the family came and spent the week there waiting for him, and suffered more," Dominguez said.

Police fear the one family's suffering only scrapes the surface. They said they know Diosdado hit more victims, but getting the victims to come forward poses a major problem.

"It's really a horrible crime," Christina Tzintzun of the Workers Defense Project said. "These are honest, hardworking families who are being taken advantage of."

Tzintzun's group is trying to help another family who fell victim to a similar scheme, possibly by the same man. Only that family lost $20,000.

"Paying $20,000 for a working family is a huge amount of money. This was something that numerous family members contributed to and really saved, and worked extra hard, hoping to secure legal immigration status in this country," Tzintzun said.

Their hope disappeared along with the man and their money.

The family reported the crime to police, thinking they had done the right thing, until a surprise visit from Immigration and Custom Enforcement.

Scared, Tzintzun said the family dropped the charges and went into hiding.

According to Tzintzun, it was the police who gave the family's contact information to ICE.

Dominguez disagrees.

"All I can say is we, I, the Austin Police Department, is not going to concern ourselves with that," he said. "We're going to only concern ourselves with the crime. As for the other agencies, I can't answer for them, That's the best I can do, I'm sorry. But I wish they would come forward. I really wish they would."

Advocates said that puts undocumented immigrants who are victims of crimes in a hard place with no easy way out.

Police said the suspect also goes by the aliases of "Steve Starr", "Roberto Guerrera" and "Steve Collins." He is 35 years old, 5'7", weighs 210 pounds, and has light skin and light hair.

Police said he had an accomplice, Gabriela Valadez Mexquitic, an assistant manager at the apartments where the victims reside.

Anyone with information about the robbery or suspect is asked to call the APD robbery tip line at (512) 974-5092.

www.news8austin.com

How do illegal families have 10 or 20-thousand lying around to pay?? Are they getting emergency loans??

Officials search for Border Patrol poser, accomplice

Posted: Aug 1, 2008 09:04 AM PDT

Updated: Aug 1, 2008 11:22 PM PDT

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is looking for a suspect posing as a Border Patrol agent and an apartment manager who helped him prey on undocumented people from Mexico who wanted to get residency status.

APD's Southeast Area Command issued two felony theft warrants for Roberto Diosdado, 35, and one felony theft warrant for Gabriela Valadez Mexquitic, 36.

Diosdado posed as a Homeland Defense agent, and authorities said he promised to get his victims resident status or visas in return for large sums of money. Mexquitic assisted Diosdado by playing an active role as an assistant apartment manager at the Southpoint Village apartments located at 6801 South Interstate 35.

Maxquitic would point out undocumented immigrants to Diosdado in return for money. Det. Steve Dominguez said at least one family gave Diosdado up to $13,000.

"It went as far as him claiming to the mother of two children that he could get her two children into the United States," said Dominguez. "They traveled to the border, and he just absconded and left, and the poor kids were just left at the border unable to cross."

APD worked with U.S. Homeland Defense Special Agents and discovered that Diosdado, who is a citizen of Mexico, has committed this same type of crime in at least one other state. He has lived in several other states, including North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.

APD is seeking the public's assistance in locating the suspects and urging additional victims to come forward. Anyone who may have any information is encouraged to call Southeast Area Detectives at 974-8218.







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Police labeled Diosdado as a Mexican con-artist in the United States illegally.

"Him being a Mexican national, he is doing this to his fellow country, countrymen and country-women," Dominguez said. "I find that very disturbing. I find that offensive."

What is so surprising about this illegal alien? He is just like all the other criminals who cross over the border. Only he cons fellow illegal Mexicans. Big deal. IT WOULDNT HAPPEN IF ILLEGALS WERENT HERE ILLEGALLY IN THE FIRST PLACE! GO HOME!

"Him being a Mexican national, he is doing this to his fellow country, countrymen and country-women," Dominguez said. "I find that very disturbing. I find that offensive."

I find that very funny.

More wonderful hispanic family values?