Police quickly suspected a man detained by ICE was framed for Trump death threat. Then Kristi Noem accused him of the crime.
Within a day of Ramón Morales-Reyes' arrest, investigators had concluded he almost certainly was not the person responsible for writing a letter threatening to shoot President Donald Trump.
But that did nothing to prevent Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from touting his arrest, releasing his photo and sharing a copy of the handwritten letter on social media six days later.
The arrest of Morales-Reyes, a 54-year-old Mexican immigrant living in Milwaukee, sparked intense scrutiny from the start.
He was arrested after dropping off his daughter at school, once considered a sensitive location where immigration arrests should be avoided under earlier administrations. The Trump administration reversed that guidance in January.
After Noem issued the news release, Morales-Reyes' attorneys and family said it was impossible for him to have penned the letter, given his lack of proficiency writing in either English or Spanish.
On June 2, Milwaukee County prosecutors charged someone else with sending the letters. The suspect, Demetric Scott, confessed to forging the letters in the hopes Morales-Reyes would be deported and unavailable to testify against him in a separate robbery case, according to a criminal complaint.
As of June 4, Noem's original statement that described Morales-Reyes as an "illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump" remained online without any correction or additional information.
Here is a timeline of how the case unfolded, based on court records, and what is coming next:
Morales-Reyes tells police he was riding his bicycle on the city's south side when a man approached him and started shouting. He pedaled faster to get away but the man caught up to him and attacked him with a corkscrew, cutting him under his left armpit.
Morales-Reyes described the suspect to police, and officers arrest Demetric Scott in the same area hours later.
Scott is charged with armed robbery, aggravated battery, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, and bail jumping. He also had an open warrant for skipping court in a burglary case from 2022.
His bail is set at $10,000.
During a jury trial, Morales-Reyes testifies and identifies Scott as the man who robbed and assaulted him. Much of the attack was captured on a nearby Ring doorbell camera.
Scott later testifies in his defense, saying the bicycle was his and had been stolen days earlier. He also says Morales-Reyes threatened him while they were out of view of the Ring camera.
Morales-Reyes denied ever hitting or kicking Scott, telling the prosecutor: "I never wanted to. I never hurt him."
The jury is not able to reach a decision. The court orders a mistrial and scheduled a new trial.
Scott starts to make calls from the jail to ask people to mail letters on his behalf. The calls are recorded, which is routine in prisons and jails. Investigators did not review the calls until after Morales-Reyes' immigration arrest.
An ICE field intelligence officer receives a handwritten letter in English threatening to assassinate Trump. Morales-Reyes' name and address are on the envelope.
The Wisconsin Attorney General's Office and the Milwaukee Police Department receive similar letters.
Immigration agents arrest Morales-Reyes and take him to Dodge Detention Facility in Juneau.
Milwaukee detective Timothy Keller, who is assigned to the FBI-Milwaukee Joint Task Force, interviews Morales-Reyes.
He learns Morales-Reyes cannot read, write, or fluently speak English. He also notices Morales-Reyes' handwriting is "completely different" from what is on the letters.
Keller asks Morales-Reyes who might want to get him in trouble. Morales-Reyes tells him the only person he can think of is Scott, the person he would be testifying against in an upcoming trial scheduled for July 14.
Immigration attorney Kime Abduli tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Morales-Reyes has been in the U.S. for at least 25 years and had recently applied for a U-visa.
U-visas allow undocumented victims of certain crimes to stay in the U.S. for up to four years if they agree to help law enforcement in the investigation of the crime.
Noem, the DHS secretary, issues a statement accusing Morales-Reyes of writing the letter and threatening Trump. She shares his photo and a copy of the letter.
Milwaukee County Court Commissioner Susan Roth signs off on a warrant for investigators to search Scott's jail cell.
Morales-Reyes' attorneys and family say it was impossible for him to have penned the letter, given his lack of proficiency writing in either English or Spanish.
They say since the DHS news release, his family has received death threats.
The Journal Sentinel asks DHS why the agency believes the letter was sent from Morales-Reyes.
In response, a DHS senior official said it was an ongoing investigation.
"Over the course of the investigation, this individual was determined to be in the country illegally and that he had a criminal record," the official said in an email. "He will remain in custody."
According to the DHS statement, Morales Reyes entered the U.S. without authorization 'at least nine times' between 1998 and 2005, and had prior arrests for felony hit-and-run, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier.
Publicly available records in Wisconsin connect a man named Ramon Morales Reyes to two incidents in 1996, one where he was accused of a hit-and-run and another where he was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property, related to domestic violence.
Based on available records, prosecutors did not charge the alleged hit-and-run and dismissed the criminal damage charge. The disorderly conduct charge resulted in a non-criminal conviction, which usually refers to a ticket.
Keller, the detective, interviews Scott. Scott admits he wrote the letters and envelopes and that he did so to try to prevent Morales-Reyes from testifying, the complaint says.
That same day, investigators search Scott's jail cell and find a blue pen, an envelope with ICE's contact information and a pink paper note stating that he needed the address for the attorney general's office.
Attorneys and advocates for Morales-Reyes call for DHS to retract what they describe as a false allegation.
"Every minute that passes without the DHS issuing a correction to the serious allegation represents a real threat and danger to the family," said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera.
Prosecutors charge Scott with identity theft, felony witness intimidation and two counts of felony bail jumping.
The Journal Sentinel reached out to DHS again and in response, received the same statement the agency released on May 29.
Morales-Reyes is scheduled to appear in immigration court in Chicago. The hearing is postponed until June 10.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kristi Noem said man sent Trump death threat. Police say he was framed
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