Woman Posed as ICE Agent, Preyed on Illegal Immigrants, Police Say
Sheriff’s detectives arrested a woman who allegedly posed as a federal agent and collected tens of thousand of dollars from illegal immigrants, promising to get them legal resident status.
Fourteen victims reported that they paid $4,000 to $8,000 each to Araceli Martinez, 47, who posed as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies went to Martinez’s home on Thursday morning, but discovered she had left within the hour to catch a flight from LAX to Mexico.
Detectives notified airport police, who detained Martinez until deputies arrived and arrested her.
She was scheduled to depart within minutes of her arrest, sheriff’s officials said.
Martinez was booked at the Central Regional Detention Facility on $335,000 bail.