MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin man received a 16½-year prison sentence Friday after orchestrating an elaborate scheme to frame his robbery victim by creating fake threatening letters against President Donald Trump aimed at triggering the man’s deportation.
Demetric DeShawn Scott, 52, was convicted in January by a Milwaukee County jury on charges including felony identity theft, witness intimidation, bail jumping and reckless endangerment. Judge Kristy Yang handed down sentences totaling 16½ years: 18 months for identity theft, five years for intimidation, and 10 years for endangerment, plus credit for 882 days already served on the bail jumping charge.
The case began in September 2023 when Scott attacked Mexican immigrant Ramon Morales Reyes while he was cycling in Milwaukee. Court records show Scott knocked Morales Reyes from his bicycle, slashed him with a box cutter, and stole the bike. Scott was already free on bond for a separate burglary case at the time of the attack.
Following his arrest, Scott crafted multiple letters while incarcerated, impersonating Morales Reyes and threatening to assassinate Trump at a political rally. The fabricated correspondence reached state and federal officials, ultimately leading to Morales Reyes’ detention by immigration authorities in May as he dropped his daughter at school.
The case gained national prominence when U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicized Morales Reyes’ photograph and excerpts from the supposed threat letter on social media. The White House and Trump supporters highlighted the arrest as evidence of successful immigration enforcement efforts.
Authorities eventually uncovered the deception when they realized Morales Reyes lacked sufficient English skills to compose the letters and his handwriting didn’t match the documents. Investigators also discovered Scott discussing the letter-writing plan during recorded jail phone calls, including his strategy to have Immigration and Customs Enforcement detain someone to derail his own trial. Scott eventually confessed to authoring the false threats.
Representing himself since December, Scott continued asserting his innocence as deputies removed him from the courtroom after sentencing. “I had never stolen a bike from anybody, and so I did what I did because he was trying to get a visa and get, become a citizen,” Scott told WDJT-TV while being escorted to an elevator. When asked about regrets, he responded, “No, I don’t.”
The DHS website still displays Noem’s original news release featuring Morales Reyes’ photo, though it now carries a disclaimer noting he’s no longer under investigation for threatening Trump while remaining in ICE custody facing deportation. The release indicates he illegally entered the U.S. nine times from 1998 to 2005 and has prior arrests for felony hit and run, property damage, and domestic-related disorderly conduct.
Morales Reyes was released on $7,500 bond in June. His deportation defense lawyer, Cain Oulahan, reported in January that his client was living with family in Milwaukee and had filed for a U-visa, which permits crime victims and their relatives to stay in the United States.
While Oulahan declined Friday to discuss Scott’s sentencing, he noted the U-visa process can extend up to eight years. His legal team plans to pursue an order to dismiss the deportation proceedings entirely.
According to his attorneys, Morales Reyes immigrated from Mexico during the 1980s, works as a dishwasher in Milwaukee, and is married with three U.S. citizen children. A review of online court records revealed no state or federal criminal cases in Wisconsin listing Morales Reyes as a defendant.
