A Brazilian national who came to the United States in 2016 and overstayed his visa has been busted by federal agents for allegedly creating a fake government agency, training programs, and “immunity” cards that would protect attendees from immigration enforcement.
Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr., 50, of Massachusetts, was indicted in federal court in Ocala, Florida, and arrested last week for fraudulent use of government seals. He’s also eligible for removal and is currently undergoing a deportation process from the country.
Dos Santos allegedly established a bogus nonprofit organization, Chaplain Emergency Management Agency Inc., and used fraudulent government seals to create and sell related training courses, completion certificates, ID badges, and merchandise.
Dos Santos also told attendees the ID badges would give them a “level of immunity from immigration enforcement and would keep them safe from deportation,” according to court documents.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida announced the charges and details of the scheme in an indictment and criminal complaint.
Investigators allege Dos Santos created CEMA and falsely claimed it was an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
JUST IN: The FBI has arrested Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr., who’s in our country illegally, for distributing fraudulent federal agent IDs and apparel to illegals, claiming it would make them immune from deportation.
Santos is now facing deportation himself. pic.twitter.com/MUyRIL5yUC
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 2, 2026
Several agencies, including DHS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, investigated the case. Dos Santos is accused of ripping off all of their seals and logos.
The investigation and ensuing indictment stem from a training held in Clermont, Lake County, Florida, on July 26, 2025, and another training attended by a confidential informant on Sept. 27, 2025, in Orlando, Fla.
Based on records filed with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Corporations Division, CEMA is a non-profit organization founded in Massachusetts on Sept. 13, 2022.
Dos Santos presented CEMA as an affiliate of DHS and FEMA and fraudulently used the agencies’ seals to charge individuals for completion certificates for “Chaplaincy Training Courses” in Florida and other locations, according to the criminal complaint.
“FEMA is cracking down on those who don’t just scam our programs but hijack our identity,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “This individual — a Brazilian illegal alien who overstayed his visa — did more than just break our laws. This illegal alien brazenly defrauded our government by running a shadow agency.”
Court documents show Dos Santos offered ID badges, shirts and certificates bearing a modified government seal to people in Central Florida, WCJB News reported.
The criminal complaint details the case against Dos Santos based on interviews with people who attended the training. The courses were free to attend, but CEMA charged attendees approximately $400 to $450 for the chaplaincy certification, court records indicate.
After participants completed the course and paid the associated fees, Dos Santos handed out identification cards and course completion certificates containing the DHS seal, as well as a law enforcement badge.
He reportedly told attendees that the ID cards and badges “authorized them to support law enforcement during emergency situations and take control of emergency situations until law enforcement arrived,” the affidavit states.
Dos Santos faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison if convicted. He has overstayed his visa and is undergoing deportation proceedings, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
According to U.S. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Dos Santos entered the United States on March 12, 2016. A “Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant application” was denied on June 9, 2025, while he continued to hold bogus CEMA trainings.
USCIS confirmed many of the documents provided in support of his immigration application appear to be altered or fraudulent, including numerous CEMA documents, a “Certificate of Ordination” and a diploma from the “University of Berkley” in Michigan, which does not exist.
According to court documents, Dos Santos listed himself as CEMA’s president and director when he filed for CEMA’s nonprofit status in 2022. He filed a “Certificate of Change of Directors or Officers,” on Oct. 17, 2025, which lists “MARIO C DOS SANTOS” as the organization’s President, Treasurer, Clerk, and Director.
The CEMA website, cemagov.org, displays the CEMA logo, which is an altered version of the DHS logo. The website states CEMA is “an agency of the United States of America” on its homepage and other locations.
To carry out the scheme, Dos Santos used the seals of FEMA, DHS and the FBI without authorization to do so.
Dos Santos then held multiple CEMA training courses throughout the country, predominantly targeting Brazilian immigrants and foreign nationals.
Dos Santos told attendees that CEMA partnered with FEMA and that CEMA and its courses were endorsed by FEMA, according to court documents.
CEMA has no affiliation with DHS, FEMA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or any other department or agency of the federal government.
Dos Santos also created and sold CEMA merchandise, including polo shirts, bumper stickers, jackets, badges, and badge holders—all bearing either the DHS or FEMA seal.
DHS Office of Inspector General and the FBI conducted an undercover operation at a CEMA training course held on Sept. 27, 2025, in Orlando, Fla.
A confidential informant attended the training, outfitted with audio and video recording equipment, and purchased CEMA merchandise at the training.
“DOS SANTOS introduced himself as a Harvard graduate with a medical degree and spoke to the attendees, which included approximately 30 to 45 individuals, about health and diets,” the criminal complaint states. “DOS SANTOS discussed the importance of being a member of CEMA and the prestige that came with being a CEMA training graduate.”
In addition, one of the event’s speakers, who presented himself as a police officer, spoke about counterterrorism and conducted a presentation with the FBI seal.
Dos Santos reportedly told the audience that the federal government gave him permission to carry an AR-15 rifle in his vehicle.
An unidentified female CEMA volunteer reportedly told the confidential informant that “her CEMA badge helped her get through an airport’s security with no issues and that, because she displayed her CEMA badge, she did not have to pay for her extra luggage,” the criminal complaint states.
Attendees also had access to a CEMA WhatsApp group chat, which Dos Santos used to communicate with them and promote upcoming courses, the affidavit states.
