Two men arrested in San Antonio for attorney impersonation scheme

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Two men were arrested this week in San Antonio on charges alleging their involvement in an attorney impersonation scheme.

68-year-old Jose Maria Guerrero of Olmos Park and 75-year-old Rodolfo Solis Zepeda of San Antonio are each facing one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and five counts of false statements.

Beginning in Dec. 2019, the pair allegedly devised a scheme to have Guerrero, who isn't a licensed attorney, impersonate Zepeda, who is a licensed attorney, in immigration court hearings held over the phone, according to court documents.

Guerrero had been a licensed attorney in Texas, but resigned from the Texas Bar in 2016 in lieu of disciplinary actions, says the US Attorney's office.

Zepeda, or one of his employees, allegedly gave his law firm’s business number to the immigration court for use during the phone hearings. The call from immigration court was then forwarded to Guerrero’s personal cell. Guerrero then would allegedly claim to be Zepeda and proceed with the hearing, says the US Attorney's office.

Homeland Security Investigations agents identified at least 100 different occasions where Guerrero appeared as Zepeda before immigration courts, according to the US Attorney's office.

If convicted, the pair face up to five years in prison on each of the six counts.