Overview
- Washington County filed theft-by-swindle counts against all three, with a racketeering count for alleged ringleader Kira Milany Romero Pinto; bail is $500,000 for Romero Pinto, $100,000 for Denis Rigoberto Aquino Martinez, and $75,000 for Luis Baltazar Leiva Aquino.
- Charging documents say the trio recruited Spanish-speaking congregants at churches in Inver Grove Heights and Woodbury and took cash for promised legal services, jobs and expedited citizenship through a non-existent lawyer named "Isabella Jason."
- Prosecutors allege at least 25 victims lost $563,700 from January 2023 through early November 2025, with some single payments exceeding $40,000.
- Investigators say a search recovered passports, passport photos and stamped contracts bearing victims' fingerprints, and report threats to call police or ICE plus a $12,000 "golden card" pitch to a pastor.
- Mendota Heights police are leading a continuing investigation with county and state partners, and prosecutors in Washington and Dakota counties are handling the case.