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Wisconsin's Most Wanted: Jose Rosales, cross-country criminal on the run

By and
Published  December 21, 2025 8:41pm CST
Wisconsin's Most Wanted
FOX6 News Milwaukee
Wisconsin's Most Wanted: Jose Rosales

Wisconsin's Most Wanted: Jose Rosales

Jose Rosales considered a cross-country criminal who has left victims in state-after-state. For more than 30 years, investigators say he has schemed and swindled people out of money.

The Brief

    • Jose Rosales has spent 30 years swindling victims across multiple states through various car-sale scams and aliases, U.S. Marshals say.
    • Beyond fraud, Rosales is a convicted sex offender who cut his GPS tracking bracelet and vanished in 2021.
    • Rosales is currently a fugitive identified by playing-card tattoos on his right calf and a Mexican flag on his left.

MILWAUKEE - Jose Rosales is considered a cross-country criminal who has left victims in state-after-state. For more than 30 years, investigators say he has schemed and swindled people out of money.

Search for Jose Rosales

The backstory:

"Rosales’ criminal history dates all the way back to 1994," the U.S. Marshal on the case said. "He’ll say he’s going to sell cars to people. People give him cash in advance and then they don’t hear back from him."

Jose Rosales

From Utah, California, Nevada, Oregon and Wisconsin, Rosales has left his mark.

"Police are constantly just trying to pick up paper trails on him to charge him," the investigator said.

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While Rosales' crimes normally involve ripping people off, in 2018 he was convicted for a different case.

"He was charged and convicted of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor in Oregon," the marshal said.

Jose Rosales

When he got out of prison, Rosales was sent back to Wisconsin for a fraud case. In 2021, he did time in the Racine Correctional Institution.

"He was released, put on the bracelet and then two days later he ended up cutting the bracelet and then disappearing," the marshal said.

Where is Rosales?

Dig deeper:

Rosales hasn’t been seen in the last two years. The 49-year-old uses different aliases, sometimes going by "Joe," "Armando Navarro," and "Jose Morales." While his name changes, the tattoos on his body do not.

"On his right calf, he has these 6 and 7 diamonds playing cards," the marshal said.

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On his left calf, Rosales has a Mexican flag. He could be in the San Diego area, but has connections across the U.S.

Jose Rosales

Rosales is described as being 5’11" tall and weighing 250 pounds.

Call with tips

What you can do:

U.S. Marshals encourage anyone with information on Rosales' whereabouts to call the tip line at 414-297-3707. You will remain anonymous.

The Source: Information in this post was provided by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.

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