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Press Release

Pair Indicted on Visa Fraud Charge

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia
Alleged Conspiracy Involved a Staged Armed Robbery at a Convenience Store in Culpeper

Charlottesville, VIRGINIA – A federal grand jury has charged a pair of Culpeper residents for staging an armed robbery to become eligible to apply for, and obtain, a U-Visa, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced today.

On March 27, 2019, a federal grand jury sitting in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville charged Sarai Veronica Solorzano Figueroa, 35, a citizen of Honduras living in Culpeper, Va., and Enna Perez Santos, 33, a citizen of El Salvador also living in Culpeper, with one count each of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. The indictment was unsealed yesterday following the initial appearances of both defendants.

“This alleged visa-fraud scheme, in addition to violating federal immigration laws, put law-enforcement officers and the surrounding community at risk,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today.  “The Department of Justice remains committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to prosecute fraudulent immigration and preserve the rule of law.”

“You should not expect to use lies and deceit to exploit the system,” said Special Agent in Charge Raymond Villanueva of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. “This kind of fraud to obtain a designated visa reserved for the victims of criminals is exceptionally perverse, and I commend the HSI special agents, our local partners, and the U.S. Attorney for the extensive work involved to bring this case to court.”

According to the indictment, in or about September 2018, Figueroa and Santos devised a scheme to stage an armed robbery and kidnapping at their place of employment, a convenience store in Culpeper, knowing that being the victim of a crime would make them eligible for a U-Visa.

At approximately 10:00 p.m. on September 30, 2018, Figueroa’s son, wearing a padded costume and a mask, approached Santos with a fake gun while she was taking out the trash at the convenience store. He instructed Santos back into store at gunpoint. Once inside, he ordered Figueroa, his mother, to give him money, which was fake money the coconspirators had previously made specifically for the staged robbery. Figueroa’s son then walked them out to their car, where they intended to stage a kidnapping.

All of these actions were filmed by the convenience store’s security cameras. As the coconspirators were leaving with the costumed robber, law enforcement stopped the defendants.

Upon being interviewed by law enforcement, Santos relayed how she and Figueroa were victims of an armed robbery, kidnapped, and discussed the fear she felt during the robbery. This narrative was part of the conspiracy the two defendants planned to tell police, which would then form the basis of their U-Visa petition.

The investigation of the case was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  Homeland Security Investigations and the Culpeper Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Kate Rumsey will prosecute the case for the United States.

A Grand Jury Indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Updated April 9, 2019

Topic
Immigration