Man who falsely said he was uncle of San Antonio police shooting victim Erik Cantu arrested for fraud

The man who made headlines last fall after falsely claiming to be the uncle of Erik Cantu — the unarmed teenager shot multiple times by then-SAPD officer James Brennand — was arrested this week in Wisconsin on fraud charges.

Jesus Jesse Salazar, 32, appeared on KENS 5 and Telemundo San Antonio in October, making claims about the wounded Cantu's condition at University Hospital. Cantu's family subsequently released a statement saying they didn't know the man or understand his intentions.

Salazar was arrested Wednesday in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, according to a warrant obtained by the Current. In the document, he's accused of bouncing a $15,000 check to buy Appleton, Wisconsin police officer Allan Birschbach's used Cadillac. The two met on Grindr, a gay dating app, the warrant also states.

When Birschbach informed Salazar, who was already in possession of the car title,  that his check was no good, Salazar asked for the seller's bank account information so he could deposit the money directly, according to authorities. Instead, Salazar stole $4,000 from the officer, the warrant alleges.

When searching Salazar's cellphone, investigators found evidence that Salazar defrauding other victims in Wisconsin and Illinois, according to accusations made in the warrant.

In one case, Salazar falsely identified himself as the State Attorney in Cook County, Illinois, authorities claim. In another, Salazar faked his own death to avoid paying for fraudulent credit car purchases, the warrant states.

When police asked why Salazar about those allegations and others, he said he has a cocaine addiction and was consuming $600 worth of the substance every four days, the document further states.

According to the warrant, Salazar is charged with five counts of misrepresenting ID information with the intent to obtain money and one count of theft and false representation, all felonies under Wisconsin law. He's being held without bail, according to an intake report obtained by the Current.

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