Three charged in $500,000 immigration fraud scheme targeting Spanish-speaking churchgoers

(WOODBURY, MINNESOTA) Three people have been charged in Washington County with running a $563,700 immigration fraud scheme that targeted Spanish-speaking churchgoers in Woodbury and Inver Grove Heights, using the promise of jobs, legal help, and even fast-tracked citizenship to extract payments that ranged from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said. The case, filed on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, accuses Luis Baltazar Leiva Aquino, 48, and Kira Milany Romero Pinto, 40, both of Lakeville, and Denis Rigoberto Aquino Martinez, 40, of Lake Elmo, of theft by swindle in a months-long scheme that authorities say reached into area congregations and preyed on immigrants’ trust and fear.

Prosecutors also charged Pinto with racketeering, carrying a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison; each theft-by-swindle count carries a maximum of 10 years if convicted. In a brief statement summarizing the alleged losses, prosecutors stated:

“The defendants defrauded at least 25 people of $563,700.”
The charging documents say the defendants pitched themselves as conduits to a bogus attorney named “Isabella Jason” and claimed they could arrange legal services, secure jobs, and deliver expedited citizenship in exchange for substantial cash payments. Authorities said the fraud ran from January 1, 2023, through November 3, 2025, with outreach centered on churches serving Spanish-speaking parishioners in Woodbury and Inver Grove Heights.

The complaint details how the trio allegedly approached Spanish-speaking churchgoers after services and in small group meetings, leveraging the trust of faith communities to draw in victims. In one case central to the charges, a pastor told police he began paying Pinto in the summer of 2024, believing the money would fund work permits and jobs for parishioners who needed steady employment.

“I gave Pinto nearly $30,000 in the summer of 2024 after she promised to help several members of the parish get jobs,” the pastor said, according to investigators.
He also told police he was offered a $12,000 “golden card” that purported to grant U.S. citizenship, a claim prosecutors said was false.

According to investigators, the defendants presented “Isabella Jason” as a connected immigration lawyer who could push applications through the system quickly, even suggesting special access to secure citizenship for a set price. Authorities say multiple victims paid Pinto and her co-defendants sums of $10,000, $20,000 and more, only to receive no documents, no jobs, and no progress on immigration cases. One family, investigators said, handed over more than $40,000 for help that never arrived. The complaint cites repeated use of the same promises and tactics across at least 25 victims whose losses totaled $563,700, with most of the outreach occurring in church settings where parishioners often sought practical help and legal guidance.

The charging documents allege that after months of payments and assurances, pressure built as victims started asking to see proof of filings, receipts, or even basic updates. Records say that when the pastor began to suspect a scam in July 2025, the defendants came to his church and threatened to report him to police or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if he pursued them or went public. Investigators say the intimidation attempt aimed to keep the scheme running and silence questions as more people came forward to say they had paid for services that never materialized.

Washington County authorities led the investigation, which spans multiple congregations and ties the defendants to Lakeville and Lake Elmo residences. Prosecutors say Pinto is charged in 12 counts, including racketeering, and that all three face multiple counts of theft by swindle connected to specific payments and victims. The complaint says church communities in Woodbury and Inver Grove Heights were the main targets, with Spanish-speaking churchgoers the clear focus of outreach and solicitation. The case paints a picture of a small, coordinated group that moved from parish to parish, introducing themselves as helpers who knew a lawyer and could unlock jobs and legal status for a price.

The filing highlights details designed to underscore the premeditated nature of the plan: an invented attorney’s name, a “golden card” that could supposedly confer citizenship for $12,000, and repeated pitches that implied special access or inside connections. Authorities say those details were central to the alleged immigration fraud scheme, persuading victims to part with cash they often raised through savings, loans, or by pooling funds among family members. In the pastor’s case, investigators say he made several payments to Pinto across the summer of 2024, believing he was helping members of his congregation secure stable work. Instead, the complaint alleges, nothing promised came through.

The government’s case relies on payment records, victim statements, and a pattern that prosecutors argue shows coordinated racketeering by Pinto. Under Minnesota law, racketeering charges are used when a pattern of criminal activity is alleged, and here prosecutors say that pattern involved approaching immigrants in faith settings, presenting fraudulent legal pathways, and collecting money without delivering services. While the charging documents do not describe any actual immigration filings, authorities say the defendants invoked immigration processes and agencies to lend credibility to their claims, including the threat to involve police or ICE when the pastor balked.

The county’s statement that

“The defendants defrauded at least 25 people of $563,700”
frames the case as both financial crime and a breach of trust within communities where word-of-mouth and church relationships carry weight. Investigators said the victims were almost all Spanish-speaking and were told that the trio could speed citizenship or legal work authorization—claims that require formal applications and reviews and cannot be bought or expedited for cash. No details were provided about the recovery of funds, and prosecutors did not list additional defendants beyond the three named in the complaint.

The complaint places the defendants at churches across Woodbury and Inver Grove Heights during the nearly three-year period from January 1, 2023, through November 3, 2025, alleging repeated solicitations in foyers, fellowship halls, and small meetings organized after services. Authorities said the trio emphasized urgency, telling victims that job placements or legal opportunities would “expire” if money was not paid quickly, and used the invented “Isabella Jason” as a supposed point of contact in a lawyer’s office. When parishioners asked to meet the attorney, the complaint says, the defendants offered excuses or said she was unavailable due to workload or travel.

Beyond the pastor’s nearly $30,000 loss and the $12,000 “golden card” offer, prosecutors described other instances in which victims paid more than $40,000 while receiving nothing in return. The charging documents say Pinto handled most of the direct contact and payment collection, while Leiva Aquino and Aquino Martinez supported outreach and reinforced the false claims. The complaint does not outline how the money was allegedly spent, and authorities did not say whether any assets had been seized.

Cases like this often prompt reminders from immigration officials that only licensed attorneys and accredited representatives can provide legal immigration advice. The government does not sell “golden cards” for citizenship, and any path to citizenship requires formal eligibility, filings, and, in most cases, years of lawful status before naturalization. For people seeking help, the USCIS Avoid Scams page provides guidance on verifying legal providers and reporting suspected fraud. Authorities in Washington County said that in this case the lure of jobs and fast paperwork tied to a named “attorney” was central to convincing victims to pay.

The charges filed on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, mark the formal start of a case that could carry long prison terms if prosecutors secure convictions. Pinto’s racketeering count carries up to 20 years; each theft-by-swindle charge cited against the three defendants carries up to 10 years. The complaint notes that the investigation remains open, suggesting more victims could come forward, but prosecutors have so far put the known total at $563,700 across at least 25 people. No court dates were listed in the filing made public Wednesday, and attempts to reach defense counsel were not described in the documents.

In immigrant churches around Woodbury and Inver Grove Heights, the allegations echo a familiar dynamic: a pitch made in a trusted space, backed by confident assurances, a name that sounds official, and the promise of work and papers. What prosecutors describe here tracks that pattern, with the added intimidation of a threat to call police or ICE when a pastor started to ask questions. For those who have paid, the immediate concern is the loss of money intended to support families or regularize status, while they also grapple with the fear that reporting a crime could expose them to the system they were trying to navigate. In this case, investigators say that is what the defendants counted on.

As the case moves forward, Washington County authorities say they are coordinating with local churches visited during the alleged scheme and are trying to document the full scope of losses. For now, the record includes a pastor’s voice from the summer of 2024 and a single-sentence statement from prosecutors that sets out the alleged harm.

“I gave Pinto nearly $30,000 in the summer of 2024 after she promised to help several members of the parish get jobs,” the pastor told police.
And from the charging memo:
“The defendants defrauded at least 25 people of $563,700.”
The rest will be tested in court in the months ahead, with the racketeering allegation and the theft-by-swindle counts at the heart of a case that officials say exploited Spanish-speaking churchgoers and turned faith into leverage for an immigration fraud scheme they now aim to dismantle.