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Man who defrauded Austin immigrants out of $300K sentenced to 10 years in prison

Modesto Gonzalez falsely claimed to be a DEA agent.

AUSTIN, Texas — The above video is from a related incident that happened in Pearland, Texas in May 2019.

A serial law enforcement impersonator has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for claiming to be a DEA agent and defrauding numerous individuals out of more than $300,000.

Modesto Gonzalez III, 47, of Caldwell County, told undocumented immigrants he could help them obtain immigration status, having them pay him thousands of dollars. His victims included people in the Austin area, as well as around 20 people in the Chicago area.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Gonzalez also told U.S. citizens and permanent residents he would sell them property seized by the DEA, including earth-moving equipment. Those victims were defrauded out of tens of thousands of dollars.

The attorney’s office said Gonzalez had threatened to deport his victim’s children if they didn’t pay him thousands of dollars. He later charged them again for “taxes.”

RELATED: Video: Fake DEA agents caught on camera outside Texas home

Gonzalez was never a DEA agent and had no ability to provide immigration assistance or sell DEA-seized equipment. Court records showed Gonzalez had been previously convicted twice for impersonating law enforcement.

“This prosecution is an example of how we seek justice for all victims of crime, including migrants who are in the country illegally,” said U.S. Attorney John F. Bash. “No one deserves to be defrauded.”

In March, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. He will serve 10 years in prison on the wire fraud charge, concurrent with five years for the firearm charge.

Gonzalez was also ordered to pay total restitution to his victims, totaling around $307,000.

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