Wisconsin Man Convicted of Forging Threats Against Trump to Get Robbery Victim Deported

MADISON, Wis. — A Milwaukee County jury on Thursday convicted 52-year-old Demetric Scott of felony identity theft and witness intimidation after finding he had forged letters threatening former President Donald Trump in an effort to frame a robbery victim and trigger immigration enforcement against him.

Jury Verdict and Charges

After deliberating most of the day, jurors found Scott guilty of identity theft and witness intimidation. He represented himself during the three-day trial and was taken into custody immediately after the verdicts were read. Scott also faced a related state case for reckless endangerment tied to the robbery; jurors acquitted him of robbery and battery but convicted him of the endangerment charge.

Incident and Forged Letters

Court documents say Mexican immigrant Ramon Morales Reyes was riding a bicycle in Milwaukee in September 2023 when Scott approached him, kicked him off the bike, stabbed him with a box cutter and stole the bicycle. Scott was arrested hours later.

While jailed, prosecutors say Scott wrote multiple letters impersonating Morales Reyes and sent them to state and federal officials with threats to kill Trump at a rally. Investigators concluded Morales Reyes could not have authored the letters — citing limited English proficiency, an inability to write in English and handwriting that did not match his — and determined the letters were forged. Scott later admitted to police that he wrote the letters and, according to court records, discussed mailing them and a plan to get immigration authorities to detain someone so his criminal case could be dismissed.

Immigration Fallout and Public Release

Federal immigration authorities took Morales Reyes into custody in May after he dropped his daughter off at school. A news release associated with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem that included Morales Reyes' photo and an excerpt of an English-language letter circulated widely on social media; the White House and Trump supporters also highlighted the arrest. That release remained posted on the Department of Homeland Security website but was later updated with a disclaimer saying Morales Reyes was no longer under investigation for threatening Trump, though he remained in ICE custody pending deportation.

The release states Morales Reyes entered the U.S. illegally multiple times between 1998 and 2005 and lists prior arrests including felony hit-and-run, property damage and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier.

Other Charges, Sentencing And Victim Status

Scott faces additional charges in state court: prosecutors say he was charged in 2022 as a party to burglary and was out on bail in that case when the bike attack and forged letters occurred, resulting in three counts of bail-jumping. The jury convicted him on one bail-jumping count and acquitted him on the other two. Combined, Scott faces up to 26 years in Wisconsin state prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 27. The earlier burglary charge is still pending.

Morales Reyes was released on a $7,500 bond in June and is living with family in Milwaukee, his deportation-defense attorney, Cain Oulahan, said. Oulahan said Morales Reyes has applied for a U-visa — a program that can allow certain crime victims and their family members to remain in the U.S. — though the process can take years.

"He’s been traumatized by going through all this, all these different levels that feel like victimization. He just wants to work and be with his family again,"

- Cain Oulahan, attorney for Ramon Morales Reyes

Wisconsin online court records do not show prior criminal cases involving Morales Reyes, and Oulahan said background checks he has run on Morales Reyes turned up nothing. Morales Reyes emigrated from Mexico in the 1980s, has worked in Milwaukee as a dishwasher, is married and has three children who are U.S. citizens, according to his attorneys. They said Scott's conviction brings the family significant relief.