EXCLUSIVE: Feds Uncover Massive Fraud Scheme Tied To Illegal Alien Smuggling Operation

A group of five alleged smugglers are believed to have attempted to lure nearly 900 illegal immigrants to the United States by fraudulently obtaining visas for them and were just busted by the feds, The Daily Wire has learned.

Martha Aquino, 61, Evangelina Aquino De Galvan, 49, Julio Cervantes, 38, Marco Cervantes, 41, and Juan Felipe Romero-Lopez, 31, an illegal alien from Mexico, submitted fraudulent applications for H-2A temporary farmworker visas to bring the foreigners to the United States, the Justice Department said. All five of the accused have been hit with federal charges, some of which include visa fraud conspiracy and encouraging and inducing illegal entry.

The alleged smugglers lied about where the laborers would work and live, according to federal prosecutors. They also allegedly demanded payments from the workers before they applied or started any work in the United States, a violation of federal law, according to the Justice Department.

They seized their victims’ identification documents and used violence against them to stop them from running away.

When the visas expired, the accused helped extend their stay in the United States and offered to bring them to another area of the country in exchange for cash.

“The H-2A is specifically designed to help farmers fill temporary or seasonal jobs when there is a shortage of domestic labor,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement.

“Instead of helping American farmers, these defendants allegedly concocted a scheme to enrich themselves by manipulating the program and smuggling aliens into the country for profit,” Duva added.

Authorities nabbed Aquino, Julio Cervantes, and Marco Cervantes this week, while Aquino De Galvan remains at large, according to the Justice Department.

In May 2026, Romero-Lopez was charged for unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien and has been detained ever since.

Aquino, Aquino De Galvan, and Julio Cervantes are charged with conspiring to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, and encouraging and inducing aliens to enter the United States illegally for commercial advantage and private gain. Marco Cervantes is charged with conspiring to commit visa fraud and visa fraud.

Juan Felipe Romero-Lopez is charged with conspiring to commit visa fraud and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

The Trump administration has launched a massive crackdown on fraud that includes investigating alleged birth tourists looking to exploit birthright citizenship, as well as those who became naturalized American citizens through fraudulent means.

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