Man Accused Of Tricking Dozens Of People Out Of Thousands Of Dollars
EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man who once ran for El Paso County Judge, is accused of using fraudulent government documents and seals to defraud people out of tens of thousands of dollars.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Elisa Munoz Jr., 48, on Tuesday after ICE officials said he promised a 10-1 return on a $65,000 loan to an undercover agent who Munoz thought was a potential investor.
Munoz ran for an El Paso County Commissioner’s seat back in 2002, and also for county judge in 2006
A federal grand jury indicted Muoz in May with one count of wire fraud, and three counts of government seals wrongfully used.
ICE special agents began their investigation in November 2006 after multiple victims reported that Muoz had defrauded them of about $52,000. The victims told ICE agents that Muoz falsely stated to them that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had seized $25 million at the El Paso International Airport, and he needed to raise a large sum to claim his money.
According to ICE officials, Muoz presented counterfeit documents bearing U.S. government seals that falsely indicated that Muoz had to pay multiple fees before DHS would release the money to him. Officials also said he lied to his victims, telling them that if they loaned him the money to pay the fees, he would immediately liquidate the loan with a high rate of interest.
The ICE investigation revealed that in the past three years, Muoz may have defrauded as many as 30 people in El Paso and San Angelo, Texas; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, of more than $230,000. He allegedly owes his so-called investors more than $500,000.
“People need to be wary of scam artists promising deals that are too good to be true,” said Roberto G. Medina, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in El Paso. “ICE will continue to identify and arrest these common thieves. But people’s common sense and good judgment are their best protection and first line of defense.”
Muoz had his initial appearance on Wednesday in federal court, and is being held without bond.
He remains jailed at the El Paso County Detention Facility pending trial. If convicted, Muoz faces up to 20 years in prison, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Anyone who has information about anyone else who may have been victimized by this scheme may call ICE Special Agent Omar Fournier at (915) 231-3430.
