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According to federal prosecutors, an illegal immigrant initially accused of threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump was actually framed.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, this entire case began when multiple handwritten letters were sent to US officials, including the Milwaukee police chief, the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), containing threats to assassinate President Donald Trump. One of the letters, addressed to ICE, stated the writer would “shoot your precious president in his head” at a Trump rally and then “self-deport” back to Mexico. The letters listed the return address and name of a 54-year-old illegal immigrant, Ramón Morales Reyes. On May 22, the man was arrested by DHS agents, who published a press release featuring his photo and a copy of one of the letters. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted the image on social media, calling him an “illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump” and confirmed he would remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, federal prosecutors now say the threatening letters were not written by the illegal immigrant initially arrested, but by Demetric Deshawn Scott, a 52-year-old Milwaukee man currently in jail awaiting trial on unrelated felony charges. Scott is accused of forging the letters to frame Reyes, who is expected to testify against him in an upcoming armed robbery and aggravated battery case. Prosecutors allege that Scott, hoping to eliminate a key witness, intentionally invoked President Trump in the threats to attract high-level federal attention and ensure Reyes would be detained or deported before the trial.
Investigators uncovered the scheme after interviewing Reyes, who required a translator and was found to be unable to read or write English fluently. A handwriting comparison also showed notable differences between the threatening letters and a sample from Reyes. Police then reviewed jail phone recordings in which Scott, using his inmate ID, discussed a “hell of a plan” to derail his case and mentioned that ICE detaining Reyes might cause the trial to be dismissed. Further, a search of Scott’s jail cell revealed a blue pen and the address of the Milwaukee ICE office. Eventually, Scott confessed to writing the letters himself, stating his intention was not to harm Trump but to prevent Reyes from testifying.
Despite being cleared of writing the threats, Reyes remains in ICE custody due to his undocumented status and prior criminal record (property damage charges going back to 1996). His lawyer, Cain Oulahan, noted that he has a pending U visa application—a special visa for crime victims who assist law enforcement—but due to years-long backlogs, they are now exploring other legal avenues to keep him in the United States with his three children, who are US citizens.
