A Milwaukee man faces four felony charges after allegedly attempting to frame an undocumented immigrant by sending forged letters threatening to kill former President Donald Trump in the immigrant’s name.
The handwritten letters, which contained threats against Trump, were mailed to Wisconsin’s attorney general, Milwaukee police, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The story quickly gained widespread media coverage and was amplified by the White House and Trump allies before being exposed as a hoax.
WISN-TV, an ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, reported Monday that a criminal complaint reveals Demetric Scott admitted to investigators that he authored the threatening letters using the name of Ramon Morales-Reyes, whom Scott had previously been charged with assaulting.
Among those deceived by the false threat was Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who issued a statement applauding ICE officers for arresting Morales-Reyes on May 22—one day after ICE received the forged letter.
“Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars,” Noem said in a press release. Her department circulated an image of the handwritten letter, penned in light blue ink, which expressed anger over Trump’s deportation policies and threatened to shoot him at a rally. Noem also posted the letter and a photo of Morales-Reyes on X (formerly Twitter), a move mirrored by the White House’s social media accounts.
The letter stated, “We are tired of this president messing with us Mexicans – we have done more for this country than you white people – you have been deporting my family and I think it is time Donald J. Trump get what he has coming to him. I will self deport myself back to Mexico but not before I use my 30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president in the head – I will see him at one of his big rallies.”
However, the narrative quickly unraveled. Last week, one of Morales-Reyes’ children told an immigrant rights group that Morales-Reyes could neither read nor write in Spanish or English, making it impossible for him to have authored the letters.
As part of the investigation, officials requested a handwriting sample from Morales-Reyes. A source familiar with the case told the Associated Press that investigators concluded his handwriting did not match the threatening letter and that the threat was not credible.
Scott is currently held in Milwaukee County Jail on charges including armed robbery and aggravated battery. Prosecutors say Morales-Reyes is the victim in the assault case, which involves an attack with a box cutter during an attempted bike theft in September 2023. The threatening letter arrived at ICE just as the case was approaching trial.
In a phone call transcript obtained by prosecutors, Scott allegedly explained his motivation for framing Morales-Reyes: “If he gets picked up by ICE, there won’t be a jury trial, so they will probably dismiss it that day. That’s my plan.”
Morales-Reyes, who works as a dishwasher in Milwaukee, lives with his wife and three children. His attorney said he recently applied for a U visa, a form of protection available to undocumented immigrants who are victims of serious crimes.
Morales-Reyes remains detained by ICE at a facility in Juneau, Wisconsin.
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