A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly impersonating a federal agent while attempting to extort money from a restaurant worker whom feared she and her daughter would be deported, Placentia police said.
Luis Flores-Mendoza of Santa Ana was arrested about 2 p.m. Saturday and booked on suspicion of attempted extortion and impersonating an officer, according to Capt. Eric Point of the Placentia Police Department.
The victim reported the alleged extortion attempt on Friday, Point said.
She told police that on June 6, Flores-Mendoza met her at the Anaheim restaurant where she worked, according to the captain.
“The suspect was wearing a green uniform similar to a police tactical uniform including a vest, badge, and handgun,” Point said Tuesday.
“The subject identified himself as a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement federal agent. He told the victim he had an immigration case against her and that she needed to quit her job. He also gave her a counterfeit letter from ICE stating that there was an immigration case against her.”
Flores-Mendoza allegedly told the woman “to meet him and give him a large sum of cash or he would deport her and her daughter to Mexico,” Point said.
The woman later identified Flores-Mendoza from a photo lineup and on Saturday, after they arranged a meeting in Placentia, the suspect arrived at a shopping center in the 1800 block of East Orangethorpe Avenue, where he was detained without incident.
Flores-Mendoza was driving a vehicle equipped with police-style emergency lights and a siren and was also in possession of a replica federal officer badge, Point said.
“Upon being interviewed, Flores-Mendoza admitted to attempting to extort money from the victim,” Point said.
Detectives on Sunday served a search warrant at Flores-Mendoza’s home and seized items related to the case, Point said.
—City News Service