West Palm Beach, FL On Monday, December 28th, Laura Luz Maria Torres Romero aka Antonieta Mena, aka Antonieta Vinkelried, aka Antonieta Winkelried, of Lake Worth, Florida, the lead defendant in a $4 million scheme to defraud the US immigration and tax systems, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, in the Southern District of Florida, announced Tyler R. Hatcher, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office.
Torres pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit immigration and mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to steal and launder government money, and one count of false statements to the US Department of Agriculture s food assistance program. Co-conspirator Melanie Wilhelm, of West Palm Beach, previously pled guilty to the two conspiracy charges.