A Florida man who preyed on undocumented immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries and filed fraudulent asylum documents on their behalf was sentenced Monday to 20 years and nine months in prison.
Elvis Harold Reyes, 56, learned of his sentencing during a court hearing in Tampa, according to the Department of Justice. He pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft on December 15, 2020.
Reyes presented himself as an immigration lawyer to hundreds of victims who sought him out for assistance in obtaining Florida driver licenses and work authorization documents. Authorities say his victims were defrauded of more than $400,000.
Investigators found that Reyes dispensed erroneous advice on legal and immigration matters to the victims so that they could contract the services that he and his company, EHR Ministries, provided in the Tampa area.
Elvis Harold Reyes was sentenced Monday by a federal court in Florida to 20 years and nine months in prison. According to the Department of Justice, Reyes preyed on undocumented immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries and filed fraudulent asylum documents on their behalf. At least six victims were deported and an additional six have deportation orders
The convicted scammer described himself on his LinkedIn profile as ‘an ordained minister of Christ’ dating back to 2005.
‘I serve Him as to fulfilling the great commission. I have many achievements but I owe them only to God first,’ Reyes wrote. ‘I am humbled and find no need to share them at this time as I allow Him to do that for me.’
The victims hired Reyes to represent them before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and other government agencies, court documents showed.
Elvis Harold Reyes (second to the right) described himself on his LinkedIn page as a minister who was ordained in 2005. Reyes presented himself a lawyer to undocumented immigrants in the Tampa, Florida area and filed fraudulent immigration applications for the victims and sought asylum relief and the withholding-of-removal protections afforded under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, according to the Department of Justice
Reyes, who never had a license to practice law, filed fraudulent immigration applications for the victims and sought asylum relief and the withholding-of-removal protections afforded under the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
Reyes filed more than 225 applications and made up answers to the questions in the asylum applications. He made up stories about the threats that were made to his clients and said the victims feared the possibility of returning to their home countries.
In filing the fraudulent applications, Reyes failed to inform his clients about the answers that he had provided, and did not explain the consequences that they could face.
At least six victims were deported to their native countries and there are also six other individuals who have deportation orders, according to The Washington Times.
A client who is married to a United States citizens is facing the possibility of not being able to be granted a green card due to the fraud that Reyes committed.
According to district court, Reyes had the intentions of causing the victims potential losses of more than $1 million. However, the actual losses surpassed $411,000.
One of the victims temporarily stopped her cancer treatments by paying Reyes more than $4,000 so that he could file her immigration documents and pave the way so that she could legally remain in Florida.
Carmen Sánchez was among several victims who spoke at Reyes’ sentencing and recalled how were son had been deported to Mexico after he paid Reyes so that he could secure his family’s legal residency status in the United States, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
‘When we complained to him, Reyes said that he was going to call the immigration authorities to come to our houses to look for us,’ Sanchez said. ‘It played on our hopes and feelings.’
Reyes used his illicit earnings to splurge on travel, shopping, spas, jewelry, and provided an allowance for his girlfriend.
Reyes fought back the claims of the victims by threatening that he would have them deported. He also attempted to shield himself from being prosecuted by hiring a friend to erase data from his computers.
‘This criminal defrauded hundreds of victims who thought they were starting a path to legal citizenship,’ said HSI Tampa Assistant Special in Charge Michael Cochran.
‘Identity and benefit fraud are crimes that threaten the national security and public safety of the U.S. by creating vulnerabilities to our legal immigration system. Thanks to HSI special agents, and our partners with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, he will now be held accountable for his crimes.’
