Man accused of scamming Latino community in Yonkers arrested in Washington state
YONKERS, New York (WABC) -- A man accused of scamming undocumented immigrants through an elaborate scheme was arrested earlier this month in Washington state.
Juan Cedillo, 69, was arrested on July 8 in Olympia, Washington, and was extradited to Westchester on Wednesday night.
Cedillo was re-arrested there by a fugitive task force following a lengthy investigation by the Yonkers Police Department in 2019 and is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from victims.
Authorities say he targeted undocumented immigrants who were parents of children born in the United States and claimed that for $8,000, he could help them secure a visa that would lead to a path of citizenship.
Experts say such promises of cutting through red tape are at the heart of immigration scams.
"They may be impersonating a government official, saying oh you need to pay this amount of money if you want to get your asylum case to move forward," said Elizabeta Markuci with Catholic Charities.
In November 2019, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced that a grand jury had returned an 87-count indictment against Cedillo.
He was sent to the Westchester County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail but after his release in 2020, he made several virtual court appearances from Washington state but failed to appear in person when he was later told to do so.
Catholic Charities, which played a key role in helping Cedillo's alleged victims, offered some important tips.
"Don't pay cash to anyone offering immigration help, then there's no paper trail, there's no way to prosecute and you don't have a record, and it's very unusual for a lawyer to ask you for cash," Markuci said.
Cedillo had been offered a plea deal of one and a third to four years in prison. He may now face bail jumping charges and a longer sentence if convicted.
He is now being held without bail.
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