KANSAS CITY– A Mexican national has pleaded guilty in federal court before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips for role in a conspiracy to stage numerous armed robberies so that the purported victims of these crimes, who were illegal aliens in the United States, could use their status as crime victims to fraudulently obtain visas, according to the United State’s Attorney.
Jose Luis Morales Salgado, 37, residing in Kansas City, Mo., a citizen of Mexico, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court on Jan. 30, 2025. The criminal complaint, which was unsealed and made public following Salgado’s arrest and initial court appearance, charged Salgado with participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain immigration visas. On Feb. 6, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Salgado and co-defendant Oscar Gutierrez on the same charges.
On March 24, 2026, Salgado pleaded guilty to conspiring to fraudulently obtain immigration visas for aliens. Salgado admitted that immigrants contacted Salgado to arrange for themselves to become “victims” of staged robberies so they could submit applications for U-Visas, which are granted to crime victims. These immigrants, who were either illegally present in the United States or in the United States legally through work visas, paid Salgado thousands of dollars to participate. In exchange, Salgado directed them to the location of a planned staged robbery. Salgado also admitted that he recruited individuals to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those individuals…