A Brooklyn duo has been named in an eight-count indictment in connection with an immigrant fraud scheme, announced Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson on Tuesday, November 10.
According to the indictment, between June 18 and September 3, 44-year-old Richard Gomez falsely claimed to be an NYPD sergeant named “Sergeant Russo” and—with the assistance of 43-year-old Marisol Mercado—first approached victims seeking donations for the NYPD and, from there, allegedly took money from victims in exchange for his assistance with various government documents, including green cards.
Furthermore, “Sergeant Russo” is said to have promised a liquor license to a Bushwick restaurant that belonged to one of the victims. Meanwhile, Mercado is said to have called a victim demanding an additional $6,000 to fix a “problem” with paperwork—a request that Gomez allegedly followed up with a threat of deportation.
“These defendants are accused of engaging in a pattern of preying on some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Thompson. “It is particularly troubling that a defendant allegedly posed as a police officer, possibly eroding the public trust in our real police.”
The two were apprehended in Lebanon, Pennsylvania on October 23 and extradited to Brooklyn on Monday, November 9 on counts of third-degree grand larceny, among others.
If convicted on the top count, both Gomez and Mercado face up to seven years in prison.
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