Wed. Apr 17th, 2024
Luis Flores-Mendoza

Luis Flores-Mendoza of Santa Ana pleaded guilty last year to impersonating a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and threatening to deport a woman if she didn’t give him money. He was sentenced on Monday to eight months in prison, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Flores-Mendoza was initially arrested and charged in state court in July of 2016 after an investigation by the Placentia Police Department.

Flores-Mendoza’s female victim told Placentia police detectives that Flores-Mendoza arrived at her workplace in June of 2016, clad in police tactical gear, including a vest, badge, and a firearm, which later proved to be a pellet gun. After allegedly identifying himself as an ICE agent, the victim said Flores-Mendoza presented her with a letter, purportedly from ICE, stating there was an immigration case against her. The defendant then allegedly instructed the victim to pay him $5,000 to prevent her and her child from being deported. At the time of his original arrest on the state charge earlier in July of 2016, Flores-Mendoza was driving a vehicle equipped with police-style strobe lights and a siren, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

Flores-Mendoza’s attorney, Jason Hannan, told Judge Selna that his client’s actions were driven by mental illness. He asked the judge to sentence Flores-Mendoza to home confinement rather than time behind bars, according to the O.C. Register.

However Federal prosecutors submitted a brief to the court prior to Flores-Mendoza’s sentencing indicating that earlier in 2016 he had previously claimed to be an immigration officer while trying to get another person to pay him. So clearly he wasn’t mentally ill – he was just another criminal. And he preyed on his own people.

Not only will Flores-Mendoza do time in jail he will also spend two years on supervised release.



By Editor

The New Santa Ana blog has been covering news, events and politics in Santa Ana since 2009.

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