Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Fraudulently Obtain Visas for Alien ‘Victims’ of Staged Crimes (DOJ)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Mexican national has pleaded guilty in federal court before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips for role in a conspiracy to stage numerous armed robberies so that the purported victims of these crimes, who were illegal aliens in the United States, could use their status as crime victims to fraudulently obtain visas.

Jose Luis Morales Salgado, 37, residing in Kansas City, Mo., a citizen of Mexico, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court on Jan. 30, 2025. The criminal complaint, which was unsealed and made public following Salgado's arrest and initial court appearance, charged Salgado with participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain immigration visas. On Feb. 6, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Salgado and co-defendant Oscar Gutierrez on the same charges.

On March 24, 2026, Salgado pleaded guilty to conspiring to fraudulently obtain immigration visas for aliens. Salgado admitted 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 present in the United States or in the United States legally through work visas, paid Salgado thousands of dollars to participate. In exchange, Salgado directed them to the location of a planned staged robbery. Salgado also admitted that he recruited individuals to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those individuals.

Salgado admitted that each robbery involved aliens who later told police they had car trouble, pulled over and got out of their vehicle to diagnose the car trouble. Soon after stopping, another vehicle would arrive and park next to, or in front of, the purported victim's vehicle. The "robber", wearing a medical mask over his face and brandishing a firearm, would strike the purported victims in the head or face, take their cash and typically fire two rounds into the purported victim's vehicle.

Investigators with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department initially identified 11 incidents in which the reported robberies followed this pattern. These cases were linked to each other, based in part, on leads generated from the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN utilized ballistic imaging technology to compare cartridge case markings on the expended cartridges from each crime scene. Detectives determined there was likely one firearm used in the commission of all the robberies. Detectives gathered information from city cameras and license plate readers to identify the vehicles used in the robberies, the affidavit says, which led them to Gutierrez.

Salgado instructed the aliens to falsely report to law enforcement officials how the robberies occurred and advised them how to make these false reports to bolster their applications for U-Visas.

The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act was designed to strengthen 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. A foreign national is eligible to receive a U-Visa if they were the victim of qualifying criminal activity, suffered substantial physical or mental abuse because of having been a victim of the criminal activity, possessed information about the criminal activity, and was likely to be helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime.

According to court documents, a source told investigators the number of purported victims involved in the scheme was well over 100. Court documents also indicate that investigators identified 11 robberies involving 33 purported victims that occurred as part of the conspiracy between Dec. 29, 2021, and July 13, 2024. Of those 33 immigrants, 18 submitted U-Visa applications falsely claiming to be victims of violent crimes.

An undercover federal agent and a law enforcement source met with Salgado on Jan. 22, 2025, and recorded their meeting. The undercover agent planned to pay Salgado $4,000 for a robbery to be staged to fraudulently obtain a U-Visa. Salgado told the undercover agent he would "put on a grand show." Once the plans were agreed upon, the undercover agent paid Salgado $500 with a promise to pay the balance later. The undercover agent met with Salgado again on Jan. 30, 2025, and Salgado was arrested.

Under federal statutes, Salgado is subject to a sentence of up to 5 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations.

Operation Take Back America

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.