Milwaukee man admits framing immigrant with threat letters

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In court on Tuesday, Ramón Morales Reyes testified about the day he was chased and assaulted by a man he didn’t know while riding his bike in his neighborhood on Milwaukee’s south side.

“I remember it as if it was happening now,” Morales Reyes said, with a Spanish-to-English translator.

Prosecutors say on Sept. 26, 2023, Demetric Scott, now 52, assaulted Morales Reyes, stabbed him in the side with a small knife, and stole his bike. Then, nearly two years later, while in jail awaiting the conclusion of that case, Scott mailed multiple letters to federal authorities posing as Morales Reyes and threatening to kill President Donald Trump and ICE agents, prosecutors say.

As a result of the letters, Morales Reyes, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was taken into ICE custody. The case drew national attention after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly touted Morales Reyes’ arrest as a win for ICE – days after local law enforcement determined Morales Reyes almost certainly did not write the letters.

Scott’s trial, addressing both the 2023 and 2025 case, began Tuesday with opening statements and witness testimony.

Representing himself, the Milwaukee man admitted in his opening statement that he wrote the letters attempting to frame Morales Reyes.

“I wrote the letters. I don’t deny that. I never denied that. I tried to get him deported,” Scott said.

However, Scott told the jury he denies the accusations against him because the bike belonged to him and he was merely taking it back, claiming Morales Reyes was actually the one who committed the theft. Scott also said he does not believe Morales Reyes can prove his identity, and thus Scott should not be convicted of misappropriating his identity.

The trial has been subject to numerous delays. Scott initially went to trial in January 2024 for the theft case, but it ended in a mistrial after a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Since that trial, several attorneys have withdrawn from Scott’s case. In October, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Kristy Yang granted Scott’s request to proceed to trial without an attorney, citing safety concerns after Scott threatened to stab one of his previous attorneys with a pencil.

Yang made a note on the record that those involved in the case “have been very patient and have exercised a great amount of restraint in dealing with Mr. Scott” and repeatedly stressed a desire to not delay the trial any further.

The trial is scheduled to last through Thursday.

Case spotlighted national immigration enforcement tactics

The day Morales Reyes was arrested, investigators almost immediately determined he almost certainly did not write the letters. Morales Reyes does not fluently speak or write in English, and a sample of his handwriting did not match, Milwaukee Police Detective Timothy Keller testified.

Despite this, about seven days later, Noem praised Morales Reyes’ arrest in a news release that shared his picture and a segment of one of the letters.

As of Tuesday, the news release is still on the Department of Homeland Security’s website. The only change is a disclaimer at the bottom including a statement that Morales Reyes “is no longer under investigation for threats against the president.”

Keller said he asked Morales Reyes if he knew of anyone who would want to get him deported, and was told the only person he had an issue with was the man who stole his bike.

In court, Morales Reyes testified he has lived in the United States for 40 years. He said his wife purchased the bicycle about a month prior to the incident, and both Morales Reyes and his teenage son enjoyed riding it.

He denied Scott’s claims that the bike did not belong to him.

As a result of the fake letters, Morales Reyes is undergoing immigration proceedings and faces deportation. He is seeking a U-visa, which is granted to undocumented immigrants who are victims of certain crimes and assist in the law enforcement investigation.

Morales Reyes’ attorneys have said that his arrest by immigration officials could scare other undocumented victims and witnesses away from reporting crimes.

Scott faces a total of eight charges

Between the two cases, the jury will have to decide verdicts on eight felony counts.

In the 2023 theft case, Scott is charged with four felonies: armed robbery with use of force, second-degree recklessly endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon, aggravated battery with intent to cause bodily harm with use of a dangerous weapon, and felony bail jumping. Prosecutors say at the time of the theft, Scott was out on bond for a 2022 burglary case, which still remains open.

In the 2025 framing case, Scott is charged with one count of misappropriating a person’s identity to harm their reputation, one count of intimidating a witness, and two counts of felony bail jumping.