3 charged with targeting churchgoers, stealing over $560K in immigration fraud scheme

Three Minnesotans accused of targeting and defrauding immigrants at Twin Cities area churches are now facing criminal charges.

Prosecutors on Wednesday charged 48-year-old Luis Baltazar Leiva Aquino and 40-year-old Kira Milany Romero Pinto, both of Lakeville, as well as 40-year-old Lake Elmo resident Denis Rigoberto Aquino Martinez, with multiple counts of theft by swindle. Pinto, who faces 12 charges, easily the most of the defendants, is also charged with racketeering.

Washington County authorities say the trio would seek out Spanish-speaking immigrants at local churches, mention their connection to a fake attorney named “Isabella Jason,” and offer them legal services, jobs and expedited citizenship in exchange for payments that totaled thousands of dollars.

Court documents note that most of the victims were contacted by the defendants at churches in Inver Grove Heights and Woodbury, including a pastor in one of the cities, between Jan. 1, 2023 and Nov. 3, 2025.

That pastor told police that he gave Pinto nearly $30,000 in the summer of 2024 after she promised to help several members of the parish get jobs. He added that she also offered to sell him a $12,000 “golden card” that would give him the ability to get people U.S. citizenship. Other victims paid over $40,000 for help with the immigration process, which they never received.

When the pastor realized what was happening this past July, the charging documents state that the trio went to his church and pressured him to not tell anyone about their scheme, threatening that they could call the police or ICE if he did.

In total, prosecutors say the defendants defrauded at least 25 people of $563,700.

Each count they face carries a maximum sentence of at least 10 years in prison, with racketeering carrying up to 20 years behind bars.
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