Pasadena woman charged after posing as immigration agent, stealing $40,000

South Houston residents first flagged the scheme after a woman approached drivers outside a taco truck and offered expedited immigration paperwork for fees, Pasadena police said, and investigators later arrested 45-year-old Irma Aide Hernandez on felony theft and retaliation charges. Detective John Jernigan of the Pasadena Police Department’s financial crimes division said investigators have identified multiple complainants and that the case involves money taken from families seeking immigration help.

Prosecutors allege the charging complaint lists four victims who paid a combined $18,515 between late July and September last year, and Pasadena investigators now say additional complainants have come forward. One victim told police she was told the process would cost about $10,000, ultimately paid roughly $12,000 in a series of Zelle transfers over three months and used savings her family had set aside to buy a home. The News International reports that in October Hernandez persuaded that complainant to drive her to Laredo to collect documents and then demanded an extra $300; when the woman said she would call police, court documents say Hernandez threatened the woman’s family.

Detective Jernigan described the impersonation tactic plainly: “Basically, she worked for immigration. Sometimes she would say that she was an immigration officer.” KPRC reports Jernigan saying, “So far, I’ve come across five,” referring to victims, and “Totaling probably just under $40,000 that she’s stolen.” Separate complainants encountered at Hernandez’s apartment complex told investigators they met her at the same taco truck and paid nearly $2,000 between them, and a fourth victim reported paying $4,565 between June and August for expedited paperwork.

Court documents cited by reporters state Hernandez impersonated an employee of a federal immigration division and claimed connections not only to U.S. government offices but also to Mexican authorities and criminal cartels. Investigators say the suspect identified potential victims by Mexican license plates and steered them toward Zelle payments, then added extra fees during in-person meetings.

Law enforcement action came after complaints were filed with the Pasadena Police Department in early February. The News International reports Hernandez was charged on Feb. 5 and released four days later on a $20,000 surety bond; local outlets list her age as 45 but show two spellings of her name in records, Irma Aide Hernandez and Irma Aidde Hernandez, which investigators say must be confirmed by booking and charging paperwork. Pasadena detectives have not released a court date in public reports.

Pasadena police continue to investigate alleged transactions and additional victims, and Detective Jernigan’s unit is compiling payment records and victim statements as the case proceeds in Harris County. The charging complaint’s narrow tally of $18,515 from late July through September sits alongside investigators’ broader tally that approaches $40,000, and officials say they expect the number of complainants and exact totals to be refined as bank and Zelle records are reviewed.