Yuridia Hernandez Linares sentenced in U-Visa robbery scam case

Yuridia Hernandez Linares, 36, has been sentenced to three years of probation for her connection to multiple falsified armed robberies, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

On Jan. 6, Hernandez Linares pleaded guilty to theft-by-swindle for concocting a plan, where for $2,000, she promised undocumented individuals she could obtain U-visas for them by faking armed robberies.

According to the criminal complaint, Hernandez Linares would cut these individuals with a sharp object to make it appear there was an armed robbery. Then, those individuals would report the incident to police with intent to obtain U-visas, which provide temporary protection from deportation for victims who cooperate with police or prosecutors.