Man gets 6 years for impersonating peace officer — again

A Milwaukee man was sentenced Monday to six years in prison after being charged with impersonating a peace officer for the second time since 2006.

Reinaldo Acosta, 54, fooled two separate Hispanic individuals in May 2013, saying he was a member of law enforcement

and threatening to call immigration offices on both of them.

He approached the door of Gustavo Bello-Ojeda as a peace officer and said he had a search warrant to investigate a drug bust at the residence. Acosta then took Bello-Ojeda from his residence to cash a check and later asked for more money, totaling about $700.

A few days later, Acosta identified himself as a federal agent investigating a robbery when he approached Saul Miravete, gave him a pat-down search and asked for his wallet and his ID card. Acosta also threatened Miravete with going to immigration offices.

Both victims were living in the country illegally.

Bello-Ojeda said in front of

the courtroom Monday that this scam had affected him and his family and that his wife has become stressed to the point that her eyes bleed frequently.

Acosta had just served a three-year prison sentence on multiple accounts of the same offense in 2006 before his actions in 2013.

Monday in court, Milwaukee

County Circuit Judge Dennis Moroney gave no mercy to the repeat offender and said threatening minorities with a serious issue such as immigration is “despicable.”

Acosta has a criminal background, including robbery, burglary and resisting arrest. He also has a history of substance abuse.

“I think you’re a scary guy,”

Moroney said to Acosta. “And I think the best way to protect society is to keep you out of society.”

Acosta said through a translator he was doing a lot of drugs at the time, and that led him to ask for money.

Moroney slammed the door on that and said being under the influence is not an excuse for crime.