Five Bay Area residents are being held to account for allegedly masterminding a plot to stage robberies in the hopes of securing victim immigration visas, commonly known as U visas. In a recent update by the San Mateo County District Attorney's social media post, Rickson Ivan Rodriguez Contreras (32), Victor Canoruiz (46), Huritzy Gomezquiroz (47), Ramon Ramirezmendez (46), and Orbelina Carranza-Quintanilla (47) were reportedly held to answer for these accusations with an arraignment set for June 4.
Rickson Ivan Rodriguezcontreras (32), Victor Canoruiz (46), Huritzy Gomezquiroz (47), Ramon Ramirezmendez (46) & Orbelina Carranza-Quintanilla (47) held to answer for allegedly faking that they were robbed at ATMs in Redwood City and Daly City on the same day. Arraignment Jun 4. pic.twitter.com/axlL81Evn5
— San Mateo County District Attorney (@SanMateoCoDA) May 21, 2025
The orchestrated events occurred on September 16, 2024, beginning in Daly City and later in Redwood City. The scheme involved falsely claiming to be victims of robberies at ATMs. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, police were tipped off by irregularities in the 911 calls, and subsequent investigations revealed the alleged conspiracy. Rodriguez-Contreras and Canoruiz, who are accused of having assisted in plotting the fraudulent events, were released on their recognizance, while Gomezquiroz, Ramirezmendez, and Carranza-Quintanilla, who purported to be the direct victims, were either released on bail or, in Carranza-Quintanilla's case, remain at large.
The U visa is designed to provide legal status to non-immigrants who have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of being victims of certain criminal activities. The accused reportedly sought to exploit this provision, aiming to leverage the fabricated crimes as a pathway to remain in the United States. However, robbery and carjacking, the crimes they were alleged to have faked, are not qualifying offenses for the U visa program.
Should the defendants be convicted, they could face up to five years in state prison.
