COPS: Illegal Immigrant Files False Report on Kidnapping and Rape In Hopes of Gaining U.S. Citizenship – Process Known As “U Visa”

OCALA, FL – On Thursday, July 15, 2021, Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes detectives arrested Alma Delia Duran, 52, for Making a False Report of a Crime. According to authorities, on March 2, 2021, MCSO deputies responded to the Baseline Golf Course on SE 58th Ave in reference to a report that Alma Duran, an employee at the golf course, was missing. Duran’s co-workers called law enforcement after they located her lawn mower abandoned.

While the investigation into her disappearance was ongoing, deputies received information about a nude woman located on the side of the roadway in the 8000 block of Highway 314. The nude woman, later determined to be Duran, claimed that she was kidnapped from work, rendered unconscious, and left on the side of the road.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Crimes Bureau, Aviation Unit, K-9 Unit, and Field Force participated in an investigation, led by Detective Burleson, which continued for almost four months. Detectives utilized various investigative techniques and obtained multiple search warrants. Information obtained through these search warrants revealed that Duran was on the phone with a man named Luis Guerrero during the time of her alleged abduction. Further investigation revealed that in the preceding month, she and Guerrero had spoken on the phone in excess of 100 times.

Based upon these discoveries, detectives reinterviewed Duran who initially maintained that she had been kidnapped, but when confronted with the evidence regarding Guerrero, admitted that she had not been kidnapped. Duran stated that she and Guerrero had been having an ongoing affair for the past five years and that he had picked her up from work that morning. Detectives also interviewed Guerrero, who confirmed he had been in a relationship with Duran. Guerrero stated that Duran had confided in him that she was going to attempt to obtain U.S. citizenship by claiming to be the victim of a violent crime such as a kidnapping (a process known as a “U visa”). Guerrero stated that on the morning of March 2, 2021, he picked up Duran at 8:30 am, they drove around having consensual sexual encounters. He said that while they were together, he told Duran he “couldn’t do this” and she told him to leave her somewhere up the road and she would take care of the rest.

On Thursday, July 15, 2021, Duran was interviewed for a third time by MCSO detectives. At the conclusion of the interview, she was placed under arrest for Making a False Report of a Crime and transported to the Marion County Jail, where she was held on a $1000 bond. When this crime was initially reported, due to the circumstances, detectives investigated the possibility of a sexual assault. At this time, based upon the evidence gathered in the investigation and the inconsistent statements made by Duran, detectives do not believe there is any credible evidence to support any crime occurred.

“Nothing is more important to me as the Sheriff than ensuring violent criminals are apprehended and locked away in jails and prisons,” stated Sheriff Billy Woods. “When we received the initial report of this crime, I asked my deputies and detectives to leave no stone unturned in the search for the individual responsible. Ms. Duran’s false report took away resources that we could have used to investigate actual crimes that occurred against our citizens.” Sheriff Woods also stated, “Were it not for the hard work of my detectives, it is possible that this woman could have succeeded in her attempt to defraud the U visa process. This case serves as a reminder that the situation at our country’s borders affects what local law enforcement encounters every day.”