SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A federal grand jury has indicted a San Diego man after he allegedly impersonated a federal agent, using the fake position to defraud over 25 Orange County victims seeking immigration assistance.
According to the Department of Justice, Davyd George Brand Jimenez, a 52-year-old San Ysidro man, was named in the 25-count indictment released Wednesday. Authorities are currently searching for Brand Jimenez.
The indictment states that Brand Jimenez pretended to be a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and used that title to scam victims.
"Brand Jimenez primarily targeted undocumented members of the Latino community, telling victims he could help them obtain work permits, legal United States residency, and U.S. citizenship," the DOJ said.
Between April 2019 and Nov. 2020, the indictment states that Brand Jimenez charged victims between $10,000 and $20,000 as he scammed them.
"In addition to falsely claiming to be an ICE federal agent or a federal 'Homeland Security' official, Brand Jimenez allegedly sometimes told victims that he was a 'G-18' federal official, which is a non-existent position," the press release said.
Brand Jimenez never filed paperwork for the individuals and never obtained any immigration benefits for them, the indictment states. He then reportedly fabricated immigration documents, the DOJ said.
"In another instance, Brand Jimenez allegedly provided a victim with a valid Social Security card, a U.S. passport card, and a California Identification Card, and he directed that victim to use those documents under the name of a different person as proof of authorization to reside and work in the United States," the release said.
Brand Jimenez is charged with 10 counts of false impersonation of a federal officer or employee, three counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, seven counts of fraudulent possession and use of U.S. government seals, three counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of misusing a U.S. passport.
Brand Jimenez is now considered a fugitive after failing to appear for a sentencing hearing following his guilty plea in an unrelated narcotics case, the DOJ said.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is advised to take no action themselves, but instead call the FBI's tipline at 1-800-225-5324 or contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED-2.
