A Utah man who carried out an elaborate and highly deceptive fraud scheme has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison. Santiago Garcia Gutierrez, of Salt Lake City, tricked multiple victims into handing over millions of dollars by pretending to be a federal agent, a government informant, and even his own attorney. His lies spanned years and left a trail of financial devastation across the country.
Fake Promises and Big Lies
From 2018 to 2020, Garcia convinced his largest victim to hand over more than $2.8 million. He falsely presented himself as a confidential informant working with the Department of Homeland Security. Garcia said he had access to exotic cars, private jets, and luxury boats that had been seized by the government. He promised he could get them at discounted prices and sell them for big profits.
To make the scam look real, Garcia sent fake text messages using multiple phone numbers. Sometimes he posed as a federal agent, and other times he pretended to be his own lawyer. The victim believed the story and trusted him. But all of it was fake—there were no cars, no planes, and no boats. Garcia kept the money for himself.
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A Trail of Victims Across the Country
Garcia didn’t stop after scamming just one person. From 2019 to 2024, he defrauded eight more people. This time, he promised high returns on investments in federal oil wells, claiming he owned a share in them. He told investors they would earn large profits, but they never saw a single dollar in return.
Once again, Garcia posed as his attorney to build trust. He used fake names and made his offers sound official. Instead of investing the money as promised, Garcia used the funds for his personal benefit. In total, he stole more than $900,000 from these victims.
Besides defrauding victims, Garcia also failed to pay the mandatory royalties owed to the federal government from the oil he extracted and sold. He knew he was supposed to make these payments but chose to ignore the law.
Court Brings Justice After Years of Lies
Garcia’s actions finally caught up with him. He was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Howard C. Nielson Jr. of the District of Utah. The court further ordered Garcia to repay $3,795,930.60 to his victims as restitution and to surrender $2,853,789.27 in assets obtained through his criminal activities.
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The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Their work uncovered years of fraud, lies, and stolen money.
The announcement was issued by Karen E. Kelly, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Felice John Viti, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, and Carissa Messick, Special Agent in Charge at IRS Criminal Investigation.
Senior Litigation Counsel Richard M. Rolwing and former Trial Attorney Erika Suhr from the Tax Division led the prosecution. Garcia was convicted of wire fraud, impersonating a federal officer, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements to federal authorities.
Garcia’s crimes affected lives across the country. Victims thought they were making smart investments or working with someone connected to the government. Instead, they were deceived by a man who used fake stories and false identities to take their money.