Fugitive Who Preyed On Immigrants Brought Back To Westchester

YONKERS, NY — A man accused of preying on some of the most vulnerable members of the community has been brought back to Westchester County to face justice.

Juan Cedillo, who was accused in 2019 of scamming members of the Hispanic community through an immigration fraud scheme, was returned to Westchester from Washington State last night by detectives from the Westchester County Police Warrant-Fugitive Unit, according to Westchester County police officials.

The 69-year-old was arrested on July 8, by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force in Olympia, Washington, authorities said.

Cedillo waived extradition and detectives flew to the Pacific Northwest to take custody and return him to Westchester County.

Cedillo was brought to the Westchester County Jail. He is scheduled to appear today in Westchester County Court in White Plains.

Cedillo was arrested by the Yonkers Police Department in 2019 and accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from members of the Hispanic community. Detectives said Cedillo bilked his victims by claiming he could help them obtain so-called U visas and other documents that could pave the way to legal immigration status and citizenship.

In November 2019, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office announced that a grand jury had returned an 87-count indictment against Cedillo. He was arraigned and sent to the Westchester County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail. After his release in 2020, he made several virtual court appearances from Washington state but failed to appear in person when later directed to do so by the court.

An arrest warrant for Cedillo was issued at that time. Westchester County Police Department detectives lodged the arrest warrant with law enforcement in Washington state and other locations, including Kansas, where Cedillo had been known to operate his immigration assistance fraud scheme, police said.

The Westchester County Police Warrant-Fugitive Unit is tasked with locating and apprehending persons wanted on warrants issued by Westchester County Supreme Court, Westchester County Court and Westchester County Family Court. It also handles extraditions when a defendant is apprehended in another state and is wanted by Westchester County or any of its municipalities.

In 2023, the unit made 236 arrests of suspects wanted on warrants, including for murder, attempted murder, felony assault, sex crimes, robbery and weapons charges. The unit executed warrants in nearly every municipality in Westchester, in every borough of New York City and throughout the metropolitan area. In addition, detectives also traveled to states across the nation to return suspects to Westchester to face justice.

SEE ALSO: Police: Con Artist Victimized Immigrants