EL MONTE, California— A Los Angeles resident was arrested after pretending to be an immigration agent and robbing eight individuals in El Monte, California.
Noel Gutierrez, 33, was arrested under grounds of robbery and kidnapping while posing as a federal United States immigration agent.
Detective Ralph Batres commented on the situation, explaining that Gutierrez approached the victims in El Monte on Saturday, June 5, between the hours of 4 and 5 p.m. while wearing a hat and vest with the Immigration and Naturalization Service logo. It was also reported that he targeting other victims in Rosemead earlier that same day.
In Rosemead, Gutierrez allegedly asked one man to withdraw money from his bank account, claiming to be an immigration agent. Police suspect he used a similar tactic in El Monte, where he robbed several individuals, taking money and other personal belongings from the victims.
Police located Gutierrez and arrested him around 10 p.m. after some of the victims reported his description. Articles of clothing with U.S. immigration logos were also found in a nearby motel.
Gutierrez denied committing the crimes but was arrested none-the-less. He is being charged with robbery and kidnapping, as it was reported that he ordered his victims to move around while robbing them, constituting as a form of kidnapping.
Gutierrez was being held in custody with a $150,000 bail on Sunday and is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday in El Monte Superior Court.
One woman who was robbed was afraid of contacting police out of fear of being deported. It is imperative for immigrants to make sure they have legal standing in the country. Had this woman reported the crimes, perhaps others could have been avoided.
Immigrants looking for help should contact an immigration attorney for assistance filling out the needed paperwork to ensure legal status. Having an immigration attorney represent an immigrant can mean the difference between getting deported or being denied entry into the United States in general and being able to stay as a legal immigrant.
