A San Antonio man at the center of an alleged food trailer scam stood in federal court Thursday and admitted he was part of a fraud scheme, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors say the operation took advance payments from customers for food trucks and trailers that were never finished. In open court he apologized and, when pressed by the judge, acknowledged his wrongdoing. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery told him he faces deportation after serving any sentence, and no sentencing date has been set.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, the man, identified as Omar Cruz Moreno, repeatedly conceded that he knew his conduct was illegal, answering “Yes, your honor” when asked whether he understood the crime and again when Judge Biery asked him to admit he was a “crook.” As part of the plea deal, prosecutors said they will drop a separate money-laundering charge. The wire-fraud conspiracy count carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The prosecutor told the judge that restitution will be a major factor at sentencing, but Cruz Moreno said the funds are gone.
The alleged scheme revolved around Tu Trailita, a company that local officials say collected deposits while promising renovated food trucks that never appeared. Hoodline first reported on the arrests of a father-and-son pair tied to the business in Father Charged With Fraud, while KSAT reported that at least 28 people had come forward and that deputies said the business preyed on immigrants. Officials and community groups, including LULAC, ultimately pressed federal investigators to take the case because of its scope and reports coming in from other states.
As reported by the Express-News, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell told the court the San Antonio conspiracy involved roughly $1 million and about 100 victims, with about half of the losses occurring before Cruz Moreno became involved. Blackwell added that Cruz Moreno later ran a similar scheme in the Minneapolis area, where investigators say another cluster of victims lost about $1 million, though those Minneapolis complaints are not part of the San Antonio indictment. Cruz Moreno has been jailed since his Aug. 25, 2025, arrest in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Legal consequences and next steps
Under federal law, the wire-fraud statute (18 U.S.C. § 1343) carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, along with fines and possible forfeiture of criminal proceeds, and courts weigh restitution to victims at sentencing. The statute and its penalties are summarized by the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. Prosecutors in this case have said they will seek forfeiture and that sentencing will partly depend on how much restitution can be recovered. A sentencing date for Cruz Moreno has not yet been set.
