Man frames migrant with Trump threat to avoid criminal trial

In a case emerging from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ramon Morales-Reyes, a 54-year-old undocumented immigrant, found himself embroiled in serious legal trouble when he was falsely accused of threatening President Donald Trump. On May 21, letters claiming to be written by Morales-Reyes were sent to both state and federal officials, threatening the life of the President. The letters mentioned feelings of anger against deportations and expressed intentions to self-deport after committing violent acts. Despite the initial allegations, investigations revealed that Demetric D. Scott, a fellow inmate and assailant of Morales-Reyes, had forged the letters in a calculated effort to have Morales-Reyes deported, ensuring that he would no longer be able to testify against Scott in his upcoming trial for armed robbery and aggravated battery scheduled for July. As a reasonable suspicion of his innocence grew, detectives found that Morales-Reyes could not read or write English fluently, contradicting the evidence against him. Furthermore, handwriting analysis proved that the letters were not penned by Morales-Reyes. Alongside the confession made by Scott, who reportedly admitted to fabricating the scheme while hoping for a distraction from his impending court case, the situation shifted the perspective of both the public and legal authorities on Morales-Reyes’s supposed threats. Scott aimed to frame Morales-Reyes due to their history, where Scott had previously robbed and stabbed him. Law enforcement's subsequent investigation unearthed direct communications from Scott where he articulated plans to have Morales-Reyes arrested, believing it would facilitate his own freedom from prosecution. Morales-Reyes was apprehended after the letters were sent, initially causing officials to treat him as a suspect. Even after Scott's confession and the evidence proving Morales-Reyes's innocence, he remains in detention as his immigration status comes under scrutiny due to prior offenses. Morales-Reyes's attorneys actively seek his release, arguing that Scott's fabricated threats demonstrate that he poses no risk to the community, given he was indeed a victim of crime. The fallout from these events highlights not only the personal tragedy for Morales-Reyes, who is fighting to stay with his family while navigating the dehumanizing immigration system, but also raises challenging questions about how the legal system addressed allegations potentially founded on deceit.