District of Arizona

An Alabama man was arrested today in Cullman, Alabama, for allegedly sending threatening messages to election workers with Maricopa County Elections in Phoenix.

Brian Jerry Ogstad, 59, of Cullman, made his initial appearance today at the federal courthouse in Huntsville.

“As alleged in the indictment, Brian Ogstad sent threatening messages to a social media account maintained by the Maricopa County Elections office. After referencing claims of voter fraud in Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial race, Ogstad allegedly made a number of threats to election workers and officials, including that they were ‘dead’ and ‘stupid if you think your lives are safe,’” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Public servants who administer our elections — the cornerstone of our democracy — must be able to do their jobs without fear. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who target election officials and workers with threats of violence.”

According to an indictment unsealed today, on or about Aug. 2, 2022, Arizona held primary elections for federal and state officeholders, including a gubernatorial primary election that received nationwide media coverage. From the day of the election through on or about Aug. 4, 2022, Ogstad allegedly sent multiple threatening direct messages to an Instagram social media account maintained by Maricopa County Elections. For instance, on or about Aug. 3, 2022, Ogstad allegedly stated (1) “You did it! Now you are [expletive]. Dead. You will all be executed for your crimes”; (2) “[expletive] you! You are caught!  They have it all. You [expletive] are dead”; (3) “You are lying, cheating [expletive] . . . you better not come in my church, my business or send your kids to my school. You are [expletive] stupid if you think your lives are safe”; and (4) “You [expletive] are so dead.” On or about Aug. 4, 2022, Ogstad also allegedly stated “[Y]ou people are so ducking [sic] stupid. Everyone knows you are lots [sic], cheats, frauds and in doing so in relation to elections have committed treason. You will all be executed. Bang [expletive]!”

“We cannot permit election skeptics to threaten vigilante justice,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona. “We will continue to prosecute true threats against Arizona’s election officials and other public servants, including direct messages sent on social media, or communications in any other format.”

“The FBI takes all threats of violence seriously,” said Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “The work of election officials, their staffs, and volunteers is essential to our democracy and any threat to these public servants is completely unacceptable. The FBI remains vigilant in our efforts to detect and assess possible threats and, as always, we encourage the public to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety.”

Ogstad is charged with five counts of communicating an interstate threat. If convicted, Ogstad faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count.

The FBI Phoenix Field Office is investigating the case, with substantial assistance from the FBI Birmingham Field Office.

Trial Attorney Tanya Senanayake of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers – whether elected, appointed, or volunteer – are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI Field Offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Over two years after its formation, the task force is continuing this work and supporting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the task force has begun.

Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Justice Department, including the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Civil Rights Division, National Security Division, and FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.

To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Indictment

TUCSON, Ariz. –Manuel Alejandro Beltran-Quintero, 35, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 120 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Beltran-Quintero pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine on September 7, 2023. Five co-defendants also charged in this case pleaded guilty and received sentences of up to 68 months in prison.

On April 15, 2020, Beltran-Quintero coordinated the delivery of nearly 20 kilograms of cocaine in Tucson. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration successfully interdicted the drugs and arrested Beltran-Quintero and his co-conspirators. The investigation revealed that Beltran-Quintero had also coordinated the attempted smuggling of firearms to Mexico on three separate occasions in late 2019, all of which were intercepted by law enforcement.  

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stefani Hepford and Ashley Culver, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:            CR-20-01565-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-023_Beltran-Quintero

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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Firearms Trafficker Found with Multiple Rifles, Pistols, and Magazines

TUCSON, Ariz. – On February 21, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Jose Rene Murrieta, 30, of Nogales, on one count of Smuggling Goods from the United States, Felony Receipt of a Firearm, and Conspiracy to Smuggle Firearms Out of the United States to Promote a Felony.

The complaint alleges that on January 23, 2024, Murrieta attempted to exit the United States and enter the Republic of Mexico through the DeConcini Port of Entry. After a search of Murrieta’s vehicle, United States Customs and Border Protection Officers located multiple rifles, pistols, and magazines. During an interview, Murietta admitted he was smuggling the items to Mexico in exchange for money.

 

Smuggling Goods from the United States carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Felony Receipt of a Firearm and Conspiracy to Smuggle Firearms Out of the United States to Promote a Felony carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being prosecuted under criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022.  The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Nathaniel Walters, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-00786-SHR-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-022_Murrieta

 

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona held its fourth United Against Hate event on Wednesday at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event provided an opportunity for an informative and robust discussion with leaders from Arizona’s Jewish community. Over 150 invited guests, including community members, local leaders, and law enforcement, were in attendance. The event focused on establishing a dialogue between the community and law enforcement and on increasing community understanding and reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents.

“We remain committed to investigating and pursuing charges against those who induce fear and trauma through acts of hate directed at our fellow citizens based on their religious beliefs,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino.  “We are appreciative of the Jewish community and its leaders for convening with us, and thankful most of all for the energetic participation of many students from Arizona State University: they are our next generation of leaders and a critical voice in the community.”

Wednesday’s event featured a panel discussion among community leaders, local law enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney. The discussion allowed attendees to hear directly from members of the local Jewish community, who shared their thoughts, concerns, and experiences with hate crimes and hate incidents.

This fourth United Against Hate event follows similar meetings between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and leaders of Arizona’s African American, LGBTQ+, and Hispanic communities. The District of Arizona will hold additional United Against Hate events in the coming months to engage with communities across the state. These events will further encourage collaboration, support hate crimes prevention efforts, and encourage more Arizonans to report hate crimes and hate incidents.
 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-021_United Against Hate Event

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Enrique Heriberto Nunez-Tiznado, 45, of Sasabe, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 63 months in prison. Nunez-Tiznado pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine, and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments on December 13, 2023.

Nunez-Tiznado admitted he was a Mexico-based leader of an organization that supplied drugs that were mailed throughout the United States. Nunez-Tiznado used individuals to smuggle drugs into the United States through ports of entry. He then coordinated the mailing of those drugs from Tucson to various locations throughout the United States. Finally, he coordinated the laundering of drug proceeds through a co-defendant’s bank account.

Colombian authorities apprehended Nunez-Tiznado in February 2022, pursuant to an Interpol Red Notice, and Nunez-Tiznado was extradited from Colombia to the United States on April 12, 2023.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché’s Office at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Colombian law enforcement authorities provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Nunez-Tiznado. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR 21-2667-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-020_Nunez-Tiznado

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A California man was arrested today in San Diego for allegedly leaving a voicemail containing a violent threat on the personal cell phone of an election official with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office in Phoenix, Arizona.

William Hyde, 52, of San Diego, is scheduled to make his initial appearance tomorrow at the federal courthouse in San Diego.

“As alleged in the indictment, the defendant left threatening messages on a Maricopa County election official’s personal cell phone the day after county officials certified the 2022 election results. The indictment alleges that the defendant accused the official of cheating the election and told the official to ‘run’ and ‘hide,’” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division is committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting individuals who threaten election officials. We will not tolerate criminal intimidation of those who administer and safeguard our elections.”

According to an indictment unsealed today, on or about Nov. 28, 2022, a victim election official attended a meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, where the Board of Supervisors certified the 2022 general election results in Maricopa County. The following day, Hyde allegedly left the following voicemail message on the personal cell phone of the election official: “Run, [expletive].” Approximately one minute later, Hyde allegedly left the following voicemail message on the personal cell phone of the election official: “You wanna cheat our elections? You wanna screw Americans out of true votes? We’re coming, [expletive]. You’d better [expletive] hide.”

“Intimidation of election officials strikes at the very heart of our democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “Even just one case can have a ripple effect.  This office will aggressively prosecute any attempt to intimidate, threaten, or frighten election officials as they engage in these critical duties.”

“Election integrity starts with protecting those we entrust to administer elections,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona. “We appreciate the admirable efforts of the Recorder’s Office and Elections Department in Maricopa County to efficiently register Arizonans as eligible voters, and to accurately and transparently tabulate their votes.”

“Individuals who work to ensure the integrity of our elections should not have to worry about their safety while working for the American people,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge TJ Holland of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “We will continue to collaborate with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to protect election officials and prosecute anyone who threatens to harm them.”

Hyde is charged with one count of communicating an interstate threat. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The FBI San Diego Field Office is investigating the case, with substantial assistance from the FBI Phoenix Field Office.

Trial Attorney Tanya Senanayake of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Askins for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier for the District of Arizona.

This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers – whether elected, appointed, or volunteer – are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI Field Offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. A year after its formation, the task force is continuing this work and supporting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the task force has begun.

Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Justice Department, including the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Civil Rights Division, National Security Division, and FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.

To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Indictment

TUCSON, Ariz. – Esteban Terrazas, 56, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 87 months in prison. Terrazas pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on October 27, 2023.

On August 10, 2021, law enforcement officers stopped Terrazas for a traffic violation and found approximately one pound of methamphetamine and a loaded handgun in his possession. Terrazas admitted that he intended to sell the methamphetamine and that he was prohibited from possessing a gun. Terrazas has multiple prior felony convictions, the most recent being for manslaughter, that prohibit him from possessing firearms.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR 21-2360-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-019_Terrazas

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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TUCSON, Ariz. – Javier Alejandro Ramos-Velderrain, 23, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 21 months in prison. On October 23, 2023, a jury convicted Ramos-Velderrain of Making a False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm.

On November 4, 2020, U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped Luis Manuel Bray-Vasquez as he attempted to enter the Republic of Mexico at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales in an SUV. When told to turn off the engine, Bray-Vasquez, a U.S. Consulate employee, put the car in drive and attempted to flee into Mexico. Port officials were able to close the gates and stop the vehicle from escaping into Mexico and Bray-Vasquez was arrested. A search of the SUV revealed 15 firearms, including a Barrett BMG .50 caliber rifle, broken down and hidden in a blue bag. Bray-Vasquez was subsequently prosecuted and sentenced on August 24, 2021, by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps, to 46 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to Smuggling Goods from the United States (CR-21-00655-TUC-JGZ).

Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began an investigation into the source of the 15 firearms and traced the 12 firearms that had serial numbers. Based on the tracing, ATF discovered that Javier Alejandro Ramos-Velderrain purchased the Barrett BMG .50 caliber firearm from 2A Ballistic Solutions, a federal firearms licensee (FFL), just 22 days prior to it being intercepted at the border. When he purchased the Barrett rifle, Ramos-Velderrain filled out and certified under penalty of perjury the ATF Form 4473, the Firearms Transaction Record, which records the identifying information of the buyer when purchasing a firearm from an FFL. At the time, Ramos-Velderrain knowingly listed a false address as his residence. This delayed the investigation, as agents were unable to locate Ramos-Velderrain. When agents found him, Ramos-Velderrain stated that he sold the firearm for $7,000 to a person who responded to an internet sale advertisement. He was unable to provide any information as to whom and when he allegedly sold the firearm. The Barrett BMG .50 caliber rifle is one of the most highly powered firearms that can be purchased outside of the military as it has massive destructive power. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Serra M. Tsethlikai and Evan N. Wesley, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela W. Woolridge, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution of Luis Manuel Bray-Vasquez.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-21-03282-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-018_Ramos-Velderrain

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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TUCSON, Ariz. – Heather Alissa Neff, 38, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 18 months in prison, and 36 months of supervised release. Neff pleaded guilty to Accepting a Bribe by a Public Official on August 31, 2023.

From 2016 through June 2019, Neff worked as a corrections officer in the Bureau of Prisons facility at FCI Safford where she regularly interacted with inmates. In early 2019, Neff entered into an inappropriate sexual relationship with an inmate incarcerated at FCI Safford. Neff received cash in exchange for a stream of benefits to the inmate, including sexual contact with the inmate; introducing contraband into the prison, which included nutritional supplements, loose tobacco, hygiene items, and rum; and assisting the inmate in circumventing a security feature of the prison by taking mail from the inmate out of the prison and inserting it into the U.S. mail on his behalf. Neff also accessed the BOP SENTRY system on behalf of the inmate and provided him with non-public information regarding other inmates. As a part of the plea, Neff acknowledged that one of the inmates she provided information about was later assaulted.

Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-00204-SHR-BGM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-017_Neff

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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On Feb. 7 and 8, the Justice Department’s National Security Division hosted a summit in Phoenix, Arizona, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the launch of its Disruptive Technology Strike Force – an interagency law enforcement effort aimed at preventing critical technologies from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.

Strike Force co-leads Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), were joined in Phoenix by U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco delivered virtual remarks to commemorate the one-year anniversary and highlighted all the progress that has been made since she first announced the creation of the Strike Force a year ago.

The two-day event began with a law enforcement-only day focused on case studies, best investigative practices, briefings on cutting-edge technologies, and one-year reports from all 15 of the local cells. On the second day, the Strike Force was joined by private sector and academia representatives from across the country for sessions describing the work of the Strike Force across multiple subject areas, corporate compliance, best practices for building trade compliance programs, and law enforcement outreach efforts. Along with U.S. government officials, the summit consisted of presenters from the private sector and academia, including officials from Arizona State University, which hosted the event at its Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

Members of the Ukrainian government attended the summit as honored guests to present on the use of advanced technology by Russia in its unlawful and full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, and how the work of the Strike Force can assist Ukraine’s war efforts. Yuriy Bielousov, the Head of the War Crimes Department in the Office of the Prosecutor General; Dr. Nataliia Nestor, the Deputy Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise in the Ministry of Justice; and Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an advisor on sanctions in the Office of the President of Ukraine represented Ukraine at the summit. The three were among the Ukrainian officials with whom AAG Olsen and Assistant Secretary Axelrod met during their trip to Kyiv in late 2023. The Strike Force is grateful for its close partnership with the Ukrainian government.

During the event, AAG Olsen and Assistant Secretary Axelrod announced the expansion of the Strike Force to three new metropolitan areas and formally recognized the Defense Department’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) as a partner in the Strike Force. All five agencies that make up the Strike Force—the Justice Department’s National Security Division, the Commerce Department’s BIS, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and DCIS—were represented at the one-year summit.

In addition to the co-leads of the Strike Force, attendees included Ryan Buchanan, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia; Jill Steinberg, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia; Markenzy Lapointe, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Alamdar Hamdani, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas; Ismail Ramsey, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California; Joshua Levy, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; Raj Parekh, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Grant Fleming, the Deputy Director for Investigative Operations at DCIS; and James Mancuso, the Assistant Director for HSI.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Dinero Devon Washington, 46, of Phoenix, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 24 months in prison, to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. Washington pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens on September 7, 2023.

On April 16, 2021, Washington and his co-conspirator, Alina Pablo, approached the fixed Border Patrol checkpoint in Ajo in a Ford F-150. Border Patrol agents noted five other passengers in the vehicle, all wearing camouflaged clothing with backpacks and carpeting on their shoes, indicators of having recently crossed the border between Mexico and the United States. Questioning by agents confirmed that all five passengers were citizens and nationals of Mexico or Guatemala with no permission to enter the United States and had recently been picked up by Washington and Pablo. Subsequent searches of Washington’s cell phone revealed detailed evidence of the planning and logistics of the smuggling effort, including pin drops, maps, and text messages. Pablo, Washington’s co-conspirator, pleaded guilty to her role in the offense and will be sentenced later this year.

Homeland Security Investigations-Phoenix office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Uhl, District of Arizona, Yuma, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:            CR-22-00544-MTL-2
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-016_Washington

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jill Marie Jones, 37, formerly of Chandler, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Dominic W. Lanza to 78 months in prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release. Jones pleaded guilty to Concealment of Funds Intended to Support Acts of Terrorism. 

As early as 2019, Jones regularly posted anti-American content on social media platforms because she believed the United States military unjustly treated Muslims overseas. In 2020, Jones began communicating online with a person she believed to be a member of al Qaeda, but who was in fact working for the FBI. On May 10, 2020, when asked by this individual if she supported al Qaeda and their struggle against the kuffar (non-believers), Jones responded, “Yes, I do.” Jones communicated with this individual about traveling to Afghanistan to support al Qaeda because “supporting AQ against the oppressors would be an honour.” 

On May 18, 2020, when asked whether she could spare any money to buy weapons for al Qaeda to kill American soldiers, Jones responded that, while she was not well-off financially, the U.S. government’s COVID stimulus checks presented an opportunity: “The timing is interesting. Since because of coronavirus we all got government money. Free money basically. ... [I]t would be most ironic the money from that goes for this . . . They give us free money, and I turn it around on them.”

Jones agreed to send money, via a prepaid credit card. After researching prepaid cards online, Jones determined that an online purchase could be traced back to her because it required the disclosure of personal information. In order to conceal the source, ownership, and control of her funds, Jones traveled to a national retail store and purchased a $500 prepaid credit card using the COVID stimulus money provided to her by the U.S. government. She then sent the card information to the purported al Qaeda member with the message, “may it help them to be victorious.” Jones intended for these funds to be used by al Qaeda to purchase rifle scopes for use against American soldiers in Afghanistan.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Chang, David Pimsner, and Lisa Jennis, District of Arizona, Phoenix handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:            CR-20-0634-PHX-DWL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-015_Jones

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Driver Who Transported Alien in a Toolbox Also Found Responsible for Sexual Assault

TUCSON, Ariz. – Luis Carlos Ballesteros-Moreno, 43, of Hermosillo, Mexico, recently living in Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On September 20, 2023, Ballesteros-Moreno pleaded guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person.

On March 27, 2023, Ballesteros-Moreno was encountered by United States Border Patrol agents at the State Route 90 checkpoint. At the time, he appeared to be the only occupant of his vehicle, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Approximately an hour into the encounter, Ballesteros-Moreno informed agents that a female person was hidden inside a commercial-sized toolbox mounted in the truck bed. Upon opening the toolbox, agents discovered an 18-year-old female. She was determined to be an undocumented noncitizen that Ballesteros-Moreno was transporting for financial gain. The young woman reported to law enforcement that she had been sexually assaulted by Ballesteros-Moreno during the transportation.

During sentencing, evidence was presented substantiating the sexual assault. The judge found that Ballesteros-Moreno created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury via the method of transporting the young woman in the exterior toolbox, and that he sexually assaulted and involuntarily detained her during the transportation.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol, Tucson Sector, and the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:            23-CR-00542-TUC-JCH  
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-014_Ballesteros-Moreno

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – David Allen Harbour, 50, of Scottsdale, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes, to eight years in prison. After a five-week trial, a jury convicted Harbour of crimes involving wire fraud and transactional money laundering on March 2, 2023. On March 7, 2023, Harbour also pleaded guilty to tax evasion, agreeing that he evaded more than $4 million in taxes.

According to the evidence introduced at trial, Harbour acted as a self-styled investment advisor and defrauded numerous investors between 2007 and 2021. Harbour misrepresented the nature of the various investments and omitted material facts. The total loss to investors exceeded $8 million. Harbour diverted money to pay for a lavish lifestyle including numerous private country club memberships, expensive jewelry, multimillion dollar vacation residences, private jet travel, speed boats, luxury vehicles, and extravagant parties that included a private concert at his 40th birthday party by the 1970’s rock band the Eagles. Some of these items were seized by the government during the investigation, including a Patek Philippe watch, a Rolex watch, gold and diamond jewelry, and two country club memberships. The proceeds from these items will be used towards partial restitution for the victims. At sentencing, the judge specifically increased Harbour’s sentence for his efforts at tampering with witnesses prior to trial by paying or attempting to pay them off in exchange for not testifying against him.

“The defendant will have eight years in federal prison to reflect on his long-term pattern of deception,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino. “Justice for the victims continues, as we work to determine the final amount of restitution, and to use the forfeited assets to restore some of the losses.”

“This eight-year prison sentence stands as a reminder that IRS CI will diligently investigate and hold accountable those who seek to defraud the American public,” said IRS CI Phoenix Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick. “And, by teaming with our federal partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate corruption at every level.”

“This sentence sends a clear message that those who commit financial fraud will be held accountable,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis. “Investors should expect nothing less than complete candor and truth from their investment advisors. The FBI and our agency partners will continue to identify, investigate and pursue those who perpetrate criminal schemes for their own profit.”

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin M. Rapp and Coleen Schoch, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-19-00898-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-013_Harbour

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office announced its immigration enforcement statistics for October 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the Tucson and Yuma Sectors of the Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the three-month period ending December 31, 2023, the United States brought criminal charges in Arizona against 1,662 individuals who illegally entered or re-entered the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 190 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling undocumented noncitizens to and within the District of Arizona. In this time period, the United States also prosecuted 77 reactive drug cases arising out of immigration ports of entry and checkpoints. 

Reducing migrant smuggling and mitigating the risk to communities impacted by these offenses continues to be a priority for the Office and its law enforcement partners. Some of these prosecutions are directed against leaders and coordinators of alien smuggling organizations. Other prosecutions are aimed at deterring young adult drivers, often recruited over social media platforms, from engaging in this dangerous activity. Prosecutions against young drivers include cases brought against seven juvenile smugglers during this time period.

Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance.  During this time period federal prosecutors brought charges against four defendants accused of assaulting federal officers.

These statistics represent United States Attorney’s Office prosecutions only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-012_2023 Fourth Quarter Immigration Enforcement Statistics

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Tucson, Ariz. – Nicole Shermaine Martinez, 40, of Sells, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. A jury found Martinez guilty of Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and Transportation of Illegal Aliens on November 8, 2023. Martinez also was sentenced to six months in prison for violating conditions of her federal probation from a prior alien smuggling conviction.

On January 18, 2023, Martinez picked up two undocumented non-citizens, including a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor, near the village of Menagers Dam on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. She was apprehended by United States Border Patrol agents as she was driving the individuals further into the United States. Martinez had previously been convicted of alien smuggling after she transported four undocumented non-citizens, including two in the trunk of her car, also through the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. Martinez was placed on five years of probation but violated her conditions of probation by committing the new offense five months after she was sentenced.  

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-21-01459-TUC-CKJ-MAA
                                      CR-23-00081-TUC-CKJ-MAA

RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-011_Martinez

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PHOENIX, Ariz. –David Michael Hanson, 41, of Phoenix, was arrested on Wednesday for making online threats against the President and Vice-President. Hanson was charged by federal criminal complaint on Tuesday with five counts of Threats Against the President and Successors to the Presidency and five counts of Interstate Communication of Threats.

The complaint alleges that in November and December of 2023, while living in Arizona, Hanson used a social media platform to post threats to murder the President and Vice President of the United States. On November 19, 2023, Hanson posted online a series of threatening statements including one that stated, “#joeAndKamala I’m asking you to resign on Monday your alternative is death brutally murdered.” After the U.S. Secret Service spoke to Hanson and warned him that it was a federal crime to post such threats, on December 23, 2023, Hanson posted another series of similar threats aimed at the President and Vice-President.

Each count of Threats Against the President and Successors to the Presidency carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Each count of Interstate Communication of Threats carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Secret Service is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           24-6010MJ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-010_Hanson

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Jesus Hector Lagarda-Gil, 45, of Mexico, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 11 years in prison and five years of supervised release. The court also ordered that Lagarda-Gil forfeit a 2018 Mazda CX5 automobile and $148,000 in United States currency. Lagarda-Gil pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine on September 21, 2023.

A co-defendant, Jesus Omar Encincas-Burruel, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release on December 1, 2023.

Lagarda-Gil negotiated and coordinated the delivery of over 300 pounds of methamphetamine to undercover agents during a four-month period in 2022. On March 29, 2022, Lagarda-Gil met with an undercover agent in Las Vegas, Nevada, and personally delivered 45 pounds of methamphetamine to the agent after receiving the methamphetamine from Encinas-Burruel. In June of 2022, Lagarda-Gil traveled to Las Vegas again and delivered another 61 pounds of methamphetamine to the undercover agent. On July 1, 2022, Lagarda-Gil was arrested after delivering 217 pounds of methamphetamine to agents.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Homeland Security Investigations – Tucson office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Tucson office conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-1607-TUC-SHR 
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-009_LaGarda-Gil

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Maria Mendoza-Mendoza, aka “La Guera,” 51, of Honduras, pleaded guilty yesterday to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 2, 2024, before United States District Judge Raner C. Collins.

Mendoza-Mendoza admitted that she was a leader of a smuggling organization that smuggled over 100 migrants from Honduras into the United States, and that, as a leader, she coordinated alien smuggling and money laundering events. Mendoza-Mendoza admitted she told a co-conspirator she would “bleed out” a guide as punishment and that she stated that a migrant whose family did not pay his fee would be thrown “back in the desert.” She also admitted that the smuggling organization used firearms and that the smuggling involved dangerous risks to the migrants. The government of Honduras extradited Mendoza-Mendoza to the United States in June 2023 to face these charges.   

A conviction for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

This prosecution resulted from the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is part of JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Task Force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime.

Homeland Security Investigations-Sells office conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-18-00078-RCC-MAA
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-008_Mendoza-Mendoza

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Flavia Annang, 60, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 48 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution to 19 victims. Annang pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering on March 9, 2023. 

Between May 2018 and April 2022, Annang laundered money for scammers who lured victims into various online frauds. In some instances, the victims believed they were sending money to support an online romantic partner who falsely stated they needed to pay taxes and fees to release an inheritance or gold bars. The stories told to the victims by the scammers were fraudulent. The scammers directed the victims’ monies into accounts controlled by Annang and her co-conspirator. When Annang and her co-conspirator received the fraudulent monies, they kept a fee for themselves, and then transferred the funds to Ghana. Annang and her co-conspirator set up phony businesses and then opened business bank accounts to hide the transfer of the fraudulently obtained funds. The FBI traced over $4 million, sent by 106 victims, through Annang’s and her co-conspirator’s bank accounts. One Arizona victim lost nearly $5 million to the scams, sending over $1 million to Annang’s and her co-conspirator’s accounts and the remaining money to multiple other individuals. Annang’s co-conspirator pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering and was sentenced to 48 months in prison on January 3, 2024.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00893-JCH-1
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-007_Annang

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Ryan Schlesinger, 31, of Tucson, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Court Judge Raner C. Collins to life in prison for second-degree murder, plus consecutive sentences of 20 years for attempted murder and 50 years for discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent offense.

In November 2023, a federal jury convicted Schlesinger of second-degree murder of a federal officer, three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, four counts of assault of a federal officer, and five counts of discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent offense.

On November 29, 2018, deputies with the United States Marshals’ Arizona Wanted Violent Offender Task Force attempted to serve a felony arrest warrant on Schlesinger for allegedly stalking a Tucson Police Department (TPD) sergeant. While the Task Force attempted to execute the arrest warrant, Schlesinger outfitted himself in body armor. Schlesinger refused to exit his residence and opened fire on the deputies who were outside his window. Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White was shot twice in the upper torso and died a short time later.

Prior to the murder, Schlesinger had been in a yearlong dispute with the TPD. Schlesinger sent multiple threatening emails, went to a TPD officer’s parents’ home, and attempted to arrest a TPD sergeant. Despite being under multiple active injunctions against harassment, Schlesinger possessed three firearms in violation of those court-issued injunctions. Schlesinger sent a final threatening email to the TPD hours before the murder. After murdering Deputy White, Schlesinger surrendered to the TPD, wearing the body armor and a ballistic helmet.

Deputy White was 41 years old. He is survived by his wife and four children. He was also a lieutenant colonel with the United States Air Force Reserve. Deputy White was the first Deputy U.S. Marshal killed in the line of duty in Tucson in 66 years.

“The courage of survivors was on display this week in federal court,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “I am grateful to the family of Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White for sharing poignant memories of their wonderful son, husband and father; and I am mindful of the valor of the men and women of the Marshals Service.”

“This sentencing finalized the FBI’s efforts to hold Ryan Schlesinger accountable for his senseless act of violence. The diligence and fairness of the legal process has guaranteed Schlesinger will no longer be able to cause harm to law enforcement or members of the Tucson community," said Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI’s Phoenix Field office. "The FBI will not waiver in its pursuit of justice no matter how long it takes."

“Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White tragically lost his life in the line of duty while bravely safeguarding the community from a dangerous and violent individual,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Van Bayless. “Chase epitomizes the ideals of a dedicated Guardian and compassionate man who extended his help to those in need. His legacy will live on through the United States Marshals Service and his extraordinary family."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah B. Houston and Jane L. Westby, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-18-02719-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-006_Schlesinger

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Nathanael Alley Rivera, 23, of Eloy, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 71 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Rivera pleaded guilty on September 6, 2023, to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit for his supervisory role in a criminal conspiracy to transport hundreds of undocumented noncitizens for financial gain.

From May 2021 through November 2022, Rivera recruited drivers and mid-level coordinators for alien smuggling transportation by posting solicitations on Snapchat. The Snapchat posts often included photos of large sums of money, firearms, and requests for drivers to move undocumented noncitizens from locations near the United States/Mexico border further into the United States. While committing these crimes, Rivera used Snapchat to communicate directly with his mid-level coordinators who would then communicate with the transport drivers. The conspiracy involved the transportation of hundreds of undocumented noncitizens, and Rivera bragged to other co-conspirators about transporting people in overcrowded vehicles and in generally unsafe conditions. He also used minors to facilitate certain smuggling events.

During the first months of the conspiracy, Rivera was on probation for a previous alien smuggling conviction.

Homeland Security Investigations - Douglas office conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-02699-TUC-JGZ-JR

RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-005_Rivera

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Justin Eric Lindsay, 28, was arrested Saturday morning by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a string of bank robberies committed between August 12, 2023, and January 6, 2024. Lindsay was charged by federal criminal complaint with committing five bank robberies and one attempted bank robbery.

The complaint alleges that, since August 2023, Lindsay has robbed five banks, including branches of Chase and U.S. Bank. According to the complaint, Lindsay would enter a bank and hand a teller a demand note for money. At four of the robberies, Lindsay claimed he had a gun, although no firearm was ever shown. On Saturday, Lindsay was arrested shortly after robbing a U.S. Bank branch in Mesa.  

A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The United States will have up to 30 days from arrest to seek an indictment of Lindsay.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Mesa and Tempe police departments. Assistant United States Attorney Ben Goldberg, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           24-09042MJ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-004_Lindsay

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Monday, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, Gary M. Restaino, hosted an Advisory Board to discuss the unique challenges faced by law enforcement operating along the State’s southern border. In attendance were key officials from the Tohono O’odham Police Department, Phoenix Police Department, Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, Cochise County Attorney’s Office, Pima County Attorney’s Office, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, United States Border Patrol, the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Attorney’s Office.

The Unified Border Command – formally known as the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats (“ACTT”) – is a collaborative initiative aimed at fostering coordination, information-sharing, policy development, and strategic planning among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies operating along the U.S. – Mexico border. Arizona’s Alliance was formed in 2011, and its members currently include border Sheriffs, the Arizona Attorney General, the Department of Public Safety, the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (“HIDTA”), and federal law enforcement partners. The dangers and complexities of border security require a unified approach. To that end, the ACTT bylaws establish an additional Advisory Board of state and local law enforcement agencies, coordinated by the United States Attorney.

The Unified Command Advisory Board is committed to supporting ACTT in its mission of safeguarding our borders and protecting the communities served, and to providing operational guidance and input via stakeholders from around the State.  
 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-003_Unified Command Advisory Board

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Whitney Adams, 27, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 48 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution to 17 victims. Adams pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering on May 16, 2023.

Between January 2021 and April 2022, Adams laundered money for scammers who lured victims into various online frauds. In some instances, the victims believed they were sending money to support an online romantic partner who falsely stated they needed to pay taxes and fees to release an inheritance or gold bars. The stories told to the victims by the scammers were fraudulent. The scammers directed the victims’ monies into accounts controlled by Adams and her co-conspirator. When Adams and her co-conspirator received the fraudulent monies, they kept a fee for themselves, and then transferred the funds, via trade-based money laundering or other means, to Ghana. Adams and her co-conspirator set up phony businesses and then opened business bank accounts to hide the transfer of the fraudulently obtained funds. The FBI traced $4,437,604, sent by 106 victims, through Adams’ and her co-conspirator’s bank accounts. One Arizona victim lost nearly $5 million to the scams, sending over $1 million to Adams’ and her co-conspirator’s accounts and the remaining money to multiple other individuals. Adams’ co-conspirator pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 18, 2024.

This case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Elder Justice Initiative. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This DOJ hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step and can help authorities identify fraudsters and recoup losses. The hotline is staffed 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00893-JCH-2
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-002_Adams

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Michael J. Sobcynski, 64, of Tucson, was ordered last week by United States Magistrate Judge Michael A. Ambri to pay a fine and $180,000 in restitution to the United States Forest Service for his role in the fire dubbed as the “Molino II Fire.” Sobcynski pleaded guilty to Use of Incendiary Ammunition.

On April 30, 2023, Sobcynski was target shooting in the Molino Basin target shooting area of the Coronado National Forest. His shotgun was loaded with incendiary rounds, which ignited multiple small fires and ultimately caused a wildfire that burned within the Coronado National Forest. Fire suppression costs exceeded $200,000. 

Investigators from the United States Forest Service conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           23-mj-09176-MAA
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-001_Sobcynski

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Vivian A. Earle, 42, of Phoenix, was sentenced yesterday to 109 months in prison by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow. Earle was convicted on five counts of Bank Robbery by a jury on June 30, 2023.

Between April and August of 2019, while in Phoenix, Earle robbed five banks, including Wells Fargo, Chase, and Bank of America, taking over $34,000. After the last robbery, a bank customer followed Earle’s vehicle from the parking lot and called 911. Phoenix Police responded and followed Earle until they apprehended him.  

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Phoenix Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Gayle Helart and Anthony Church, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-19-01121-PHX-GMS
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-207_Earle

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Jorge Zazueta-Miranda, 51, of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 90 months in prison. The sentence is to run consecutive to a previous Illegal Re-Entry of a Removed Alien conviction and sentence from New Mexico. Zazueta-Miranda pleaded guilty to Assault on a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon on June 23, 2023.

On April 1, 2020, U.S. Border Patrol agents near Douglas observed two yellow, cloned “construction” trucks with construction company logos on the sides. Agents stopped one truck, which contained 19 undocumented non-citizens. The second truck, driven by Zazueta-Miranda, failed to stop and sped up. Zazueta-Miranda drove at high speeds through the city of Douglas to the airport area, then continued along the border road into the rugged desert area. A Border Patrol agent attempted to intercept the truck, but Zazueta-Miranda deliberately turned towards the agent’s vehicle and collided with it striking the rear quarter panel. Zazueta-Miranda backed up and then drove towards a break in the U.S. border wall, striking a second agent’s vehicle. Zazueta-Miranda and several undocumented non-citizens jumped out of the truck and fled through the break in the border wall, successfully fleeing into Mexico. Agents recovered a latent print from the driver’s side door belonging to Zazueta-Miranda. A witness, who had been abandoned in the second cloned construction truck, identified Zazueta-Miranda, by a photo, as the driver, and an arrest warrant was issued. Almost two years later, on February 9, 2022, Zazueta-Miranda was arrested in New Mexico after being caught near the New Mexico – Mexico border.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sierra Vista field office, with assistance from Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Serra M. Tsethlikai and Evan N. Wesley, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00681-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-206_Zazueta-Miranda

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TUCSON, Ariz. – On December 14, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a 40-count indictment against Kevin McKenzie, 47, and Corina Martinez, 41, of Tucson. McKenzie and Martinez were charged with Conspiracy to Embezzle from an Indian Tribal Organization; Embezzlement; Theft Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds; Wire Fraud; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering; and Engaging in Monetary Transactions in Property Derived from Specified Unlawful Activity. McKenzie was also charged with Attempted Tampering with a Witness. 

The indictment alleges that, from 2015 through July 2023, McKenzie, first as Chief Operating Officer and then as CEO of Apache Behavioral Health Services (ABHS), engaged in a scheme to defraud millions of dollars from ABHS. ABHS is organized by and under the laws of the White Mountain Apache Tribe to provide behavioral health services to its members. McKenzie used two contracts as a front to funnel money from ABHS to himself. Under the first contract, ABHS paid over $32 million to Helping Everyday Youth (HEDY). Thereafter, based on an agreement with McKenzie, HEDY funneled over $14 million in fraudulent proceeds to a shell company McKenzie owned. McKenzie concealed this backdoor financial arrangement from ABHS. McKenzie made significant efforts to hide his scheme through money laundering and attempted to persuade a witness to lie to investigators.  

The indictment also alleges that McKenzie, again as CEO for ABHS, and Martinez through her company Evolved, LLC, entered a phony “referral” contract to embezzle additional money from ABHS. Using this agreement, McKenzie caused ABHS to pay $15 million to a second Martinez company, Evolved Healthcare Inc. (EHI). Portions of the fraudulent proceeds were split amongst McKenzie and Martinez. Martinez gave McKenzie large sums of money, paid at least $800,000 of his personal credit card bills, and purchased other luxury items, including a $128,000 Rolls Royce Ghost and a $952,000 home for McKenzie’s family. EHI and Evolved LLC did not perform any services for ABHS.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Section, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-02258-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-205_McKenzie/Martinez

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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TUCSON, Ariz. – Clifford Valisto, 63, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Valisto pleaded guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit on October 2, 2023. Valisto also was sentenced to 12 months in prison to run concurrently for violating conditions of his federal supervised release from a prior alien smuggling conviction.

On July 19, 2023, Valisto picked up six undocumented non-citizens, including a 15-year-old unaccompanied minor, in a Ford F-150. Witnesses reported that Valisto was having difficulty controlling his vehicle, and appeared to be falling asleep as he approached a Border Patrol checkpoint. United States Border Patrol agents found all passengers to be present in the United States illegally.

Valisto previously had been convicted of Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit, CR-18-01843-TUC-DCB, and Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien, CR-11-01345-TUC-DCB.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           23-CR-01213-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-204_Valisto

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Tuesday, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 50-count indictment against Jeremie Sowerby, 45, of Fountain Hills, for wire fraud and transactional money laundering.

The indictment alleges that Sowerby scammed at least 150 victims out of millions of dollars in a cryptocurrency scheme known as Dunamis Global Technologies. Sowerby marketed Dunamis as a company that sold cryptocurrency mining machines to be hosted in Dunamis warehouse facilities in Lakeside and Tempe, which he falsely claimed to own. Sowerby informed victim-investors that they were purchasing cryptocurrency mining machines with unique serial numbers associated with each victim’s cryptocurrency wallet. In reality, Sowerby directed most of the victim funds to accounts under his control. Any “earnings” were directed to a Dunamis wallet controlled by Sowerby, and victims were never able to access their invested money or any purported profits. Instead, Sowerby stole the money and used it for himself, including purchasing Teslas, residential properties, cryptocurrency, and other expensive items.

Sowerby was previously charged, along with co-defendant Luis Ortega, in a 55-count indictment alleging that Sowerby and Ortega scammed hundreds of victims out of millions of dollars in a cryptocurrency investment scheme under the guise of three entities: Now Mining, VIP Mining, and Millennium Technologies. Sowerby was also previously charged for defrauding an Arizona physician through what he claimed to be an exclusive hedge fund investment opportunity called “Justice Capital.” Both cases remain pending.

A conviction for wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, or both. A conviction for transactional money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-Criminal Investigation are conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

The FBI and IRS-CI believe that additional victims of Sowerby’s investment fraud schemes remain unidentified. Anyone who believes they were defrauded by the defendant in this case should contact the Victim Witness Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona at usaaz.victimassist@usdoj.gov or fill out the questionnaire at this link: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-potential-victims-of-jeremie-sowerby-luis-ortega-fraud-schemes.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01757-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-203_Sowerby

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Victor Alfonso Apodaca Aguilar, 22, of Mexico, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Aguilar’s co-defendants, Jose Bernardo Vega-Ruiz, 27, and Hector Alvarado-Aboyte, 29, were each sentenced on November 20, 2023, to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. All three men, undocumented non-citizens from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty to Alien in Possession of a Firearm.

On March 9, 2023, the three men were living at a house in Phoenix where a federal search warrant was executed. Five firearms, including a “ghost gun,” were located at the residence.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa E. Jennis, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-510-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-201_Aguilar

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, of Rio Verde, Arizona, was arrested on Friday after a grand jury indicted him on three counts of Threat Against a Federal Official and three counts of making Interstate Threats.

From May 2021 through November 2023, while living in Colorado and Arizona, Tomasi used a social media platform to express a desire to incite violence and threaten a variety of individuals and groups, including elected officials, a judge, and federal officials and law enforcement officers. The charges against Tomasi relate to threats he made in Arizona to federal law enforcement agents and employees.

“The threats of violence against public officials alleged in this indictment are abhorrent,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The defendant is specifically charged with threatening to kill FBI agents and other FBI employees just for doing their jobs. I am deeply proud of the work the FBI does every day; its personnel should not have to deal with threats against themselves as they work to protect the American people. The Justice Department will not stand for such heinous behavior and will prosecute threats against its employees to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Threats against law enforcement personnel like those alleged in this indictment are not just polemics, they are illegal under federal law and corrosive to civic life and dialogue," said United States Attorney Gary Restaino.

Each count alleging Threat Against a Federal Official carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Counts alleging Interstate Threat carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01751-PHX-DWL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-202_Tomasi

 

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Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, of Rio Verde, Arizona, was arrested on Friday after a grand jury indicted him on three counts of threats against a federal official and three counts of making interstate threats.

According to court documents, from May 2021 through November 2023, while living in Colorado and Arizona, Tomasi used a social media platform to express a desire to incite violence and threaten a variety of individuals and groups, including elected officials, a judge, and federal officials and law enforcement officers. The charges against Tomasi relate to threats he made in Arizona to federal law enforcement agents and employees.

“The threats of violence against public officials alleged in this indictment are abhorrent,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The defendant is specifically charged with threatening to kill FBI agents and other FBI employees just for doing their jobs. I am deeply proud of the work the FBI does every day; its personnel should not have to deal with threats against themselves as they work to protect the American people. The Justice Department will not stand for such heinous behavior and will prosecute threats against its employees to the fullest extent of the law.”

“In this country, there’s a right way and a wrong way to express your views under the Constitution, and violence or threats of violence is not it,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The men and women of the FBI work tirelessly and selflessly to protect others every day, and we will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable those who make violent threats against them or any of our colleagues in law enforcement.”

“Threats against law enforcement personnel like those alleged in this indictment are not just polemics, they are illegal under federal law and corrosive to civic life and dialogue,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona.

If convicted, Tomasi faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of making threats against a federal official, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of making interstate threats.

The FBI is investigating the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is handling the prosecution.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

On Nov. 29, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an 11-count indictment against Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, and Jesus Armando Gonzalez-Villela, all of Mexico, for conspiracy to transport aliens; conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; conspiracy to distribute marijuana, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine; distribution of  marijuana, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine; and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“These actions are the latest in a long line of the Justice Department’s efforts to dismantle, piece-by-piece, violent cartels like Malasa Manas and Sinaloa,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to target and prosecute the leaders and associates of the criminal groups responsible for poisoning the American people with fentanyl and endangering vulnerable migrants for profit.”

The indictment alleges that defendants Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, also known as Soldado, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, also known as Peque, and Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, also known as Catorce, are members of the Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), operating in the Santa Cruz and Mascarenas areas of Mexico, with the permission of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The indictment alleges that these defendants operated a human smuggling organization as part of the Malas Manas TCO, trafficked drugs, and laundered the proceeds of both criminal activities. More specifically, the indictment alleges that beginning at an unknown time but including December 2020 and continuing through Nov. 12, 2021, defendants Roman-Figueroa, Roman-Flores, Bernal, and Salazar-Ballesteros conspired to transport aliens within the United States as part of the Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization. 

The indictment alleges that between January 2019 and August 2023, Roman-Figueroa, Roman-Flores, and Salazar-Ballesteros conspired to launder the profits of alien smuggling and drug smuggling through the movement of monetary instruments from the United States to the Republic of Mexico. 

The indictment further alleges that from 2019 until 2023 Roman-Figueroa, Bernal, Salazar-Ballesteros, and Gonzalez-Villela conspired to distribute and did distribute various quantities of fentanyl, marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Finally, the indictment alleges that Bernal brandished a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime involving methamphetamine on Feb. 3, 2021. The most serious of these crimes carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000. 

“DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the two criminal organizations responsible for the influx of fentanyl into the United States — the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels. As alleged in the indictment, these defendants worked with the Sinaloa Cartel to send fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Today’s actions demonstrate that DEA will relentlessly pursue every member and associate of these global criminal organizations, which threaten the public health, safety, and national security of the American people.”

“The facts alleged here illustrate the breadth and diversity of the harmful actions by transnational criminal organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. “This case isn’t about just guns, or drugs, or aliens. In our continuing efforts to safeguard and bolster border communities, we look forward to establishing the interconnectedness of these three related crimes.”

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. This case also involves the OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Homeland Security Investigations Nogales, DEA Tucson Division, and the FBI OCDETF Strike Force in Tucson conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rui Wang, Arturo Aguilar, and David Petermann for the District of Arizona worked on the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Petermann for the District of Arizona is prosecuted the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

TUCSON, Ariz. – On November 29, 2023, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an 11-count indictment against Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, and Jesus Armando Gonzalez-Villela, citizens of Mexico, for Conspiracy to Transport Aliens; Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine; Distribution of  Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine; and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

“These actions are the latest in a long line of the Justice Department’s efforts to dismantle, piece-by-piece, violent cartels like Malasa Manas and Sinaloa,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to target and prosecute the leaders and associates of the criminal groups responsible for poisoning the American people with fentanyl and endangering vulnerable migrants for profit.”

The indictment alleges that defendants Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, also known as Soldado, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, also known as Peque, and Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, also known as Catorce, are members of the Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), operating in the Santa Cruz and Mascarenas areas of Mexico, with the permission of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The indictment alleges that these defendants operated a human smuggling organization as part of the Malas Manas TCO, trafficked drugs, and laundered the proceeds of both criminal activities.  More specifically, the indictment alleges that beginning at an unknown time but including December 2020 and continuing through November 12, 2021, defendants Roman-Figueroa, Roman-Flores, Bernal, and Salazar-Ballesteros conspired to transport aliens within the United States as part of the Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization. 

The indictment alleges that between January 2019 and August 2023, defendants Roman-Figueroa, Roman-Flores, and Salazar-Ballesteros conspired to launder the profits of alien smuggling and drug smuggling through the movement of monetary instruments from the United States to the Republic of Mexico. 

The indictment further alleges that from 2019 until 2023 Roman-Figueroa, Bernal, Salazar-Ballesteros, and Gonzalez-Villela conspired to distribute and did distribute various quantities of fentanyl, marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine.  Finally, the indictment alleges that Bernal brandished a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime involving methamphetamine on February 3, 2021.  The most serious of these crimes carries a minimum mandatory term of 10 years and up to a maximum term of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000. 

“DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the two criminal organizations responsible for the influx of fentanyl into the United States— the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels.   As alleged in the indictment, these defendants worked with the Sinaloa Cartel to send fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.  “Today’s actions demonstrate that DEA will relentlessly pursue every member and associate of these global criminal organizations, which threaten the public health, safety, and national security of the American people.”

“The facts alleged here illustrate the breadth and diversity of the harmful actions by transnational criminal organizations,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino.  “This case isn’t about just guns, or drugs, or aliens.  In our continuing efforts to safeguard and bolster border communities, we look forward to establishing the interconnectedness of these three related crimes.”

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. This case also involves the OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Homeland Security Investigations – Nogales Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration – Tucson Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation OCDETF Strike Force in Tucson conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) Rui Wang, Arturo Aguilar, and David Petermann worked on the investigation.  AUSA David Petermann is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01975-TUC-JCH (AMM)
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-200_Roman-Figueroa, et al.

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Jeremy Espuma, 31, of Sells, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 248 months in prison for child exploitation offenses. Espuma, a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, pleaded guilty to Child Exploitation by way of Production of Child Pornography on March 22, 2023. Upon release from prison, Espuma will be placed on lifetime supervised release with sex offender conditions and will be required to register as a sex offender.

The case against Espuma arose after undercover agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered that he was sharing child exploitation material online. A subsequent investigation led to the identification of a child victim that Espuma had sexually abused. Espuma had also distributed images of the child and offered access to the child in exchange for money in the online forum where he was found by law enforcement. The investigation also led to the identification of another individual with whom Espuma shared the images. That offender, Kyle Adam Haney, was sentenced to 120 months in prison on August 31, 2023.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Tucson, Arizona and Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Tohono O’Odham Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carin Duryee and Scott Turk, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-21-02971-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-198_Espuma

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Pilar Angel Leon-Beltran, 44, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 144 months in prison. Leon-Beltran pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime on March 22, 2023. Leon-Beltran also admitted to being in violation of a condition of his supervised release from a previous federal conviction.

In April of 2022, Leon-Beltran traveled with three co-conspirators from Tucson to the Phoenix metropolitan area. Leon-Beltran and his co-conspirators were subsequently stopped by federal agents and Arizona DPS Troopers in Scottsdale during an undercover operation. Approximately 90,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl were discovered in their possession. Leon-Beltran had a loaded firearm in his possession while he was transporting the fentanyl-laced pills.

Co-conspirator Enrique Flores-Diaz pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and was sentenced to 78 months in prison on February 3, 2023. Co-conspirator Denisse Calderon-Razura pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and was sentenced to 15 months in prison on June 28, 2023. Co-conspirator Laura Elena Hambrick has pleaded guilty to Accessory After the Fact. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 18, 2024.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Operation. The OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The investigation in this case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-1094-JGZ-JR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-197_Leon-Beltran

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Nathan Hernandez, 20, of Yuma, pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl last week. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 25, 2024, before United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi.

Hernandez admitted that on November 3, 2023, he entered the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry in San Luis, Arizona, with 115.04 pounds of fentanyl pills hidden in a non-factory compartment of his 2020 Dodge Ram. Hernandez further admitted that he possessed the fentanyl with the intent to deliver it to another person. In his plea agreement, Hernandez agreed to forfeit the 2020 Dodge Ram used to transport the fentanyl pills into the United States.

A conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Doyle, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01674-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-199_Hernandez

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Adbiel Martinez-Barrera, 21, of Guerrero, Mexico, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 13 months and 1 day in prison. Martinez-Barrera pleaded guilty to Assault of a Federal Officer and Improper Entry by an Alien on September 6, 2023. 

On May 5, 2023, a United States Border Patrol agent responded to a call from a Border Patrol camera operator who had spotted two suspected undocumented non-citizens in Douglas. The agent went to the area and located the two subjects, a male and a female, hiding in the brush. The agent was in the process of arresting the female when the male, Martinez-Barrera, who was bigger and heavier than the agent, mounted the agent from behind causing them both to fall to the ground. Martinez-Barrera tried to suffocate the agent by placing his hand over her mouth and nose, restricting her ability to breathe. Martinez-Barrera finally released the agent and fled the area but was later apprehended by other agents who arrived to assist. Martinez-Barrera had illegally crossed into the United States earlier that night.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Serra M. Tsethlikai, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:            CR-23-00777-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-195_Martinez-Barrera

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Donald Day, Jr., 58, of Heber, was arrested on Friday, on a federal arrest warrant after a federal grand jury indicted him on two counts of Interstate Threats.

From January 2022 to February 2023, Day used social media platforms to express a desire to incite violence and threaten a variety of groups and individuals, including law enforcement and government authorities. As to Count One, following the killing of two Queensland (Australia) Police Service officers in December 2022, Day posted a video on YouTube threatening any law enforcement official who came to his residence. Separately, as to Count Two, Day threatened to kill a victim (the Director General of the World Health Organization) in February 2023 on the video platform BitChute, calling on others to join him.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:            CR-23-8132-PCT-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-196_Day

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Michael Elton Tillman, 55, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Tillman pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on March 27, 2023.

On May 5, 2022, Tillman, a convicted felon, sold a loaded Arsenal 7.62x39 mm pistol and 100 rounds of ammunition for $1,000 to a federal agent. After the sale, agents executed a search of Tillman’s apartment and found a loaded Taurus 9 mm pistol, 9 mm ammunition, .380 caliber ammunition, 7.62x39 mm ammunition, narcotics, narcotics paraphernalia, and bulk United States currency. Analysis of the firearms and ammunition confirmed they passed through interstate commerce. Prior to possessing and selling the pistol to the agent, Tillman had been convicted of multiple Arizona felonies, including manslaughter.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Bolling, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR 22-01262-RM-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-193_Tillman

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La fiscal general adjunta en funciones Nicole M. Argentieri, de la División Penal del Departamento de Justicia, convocó ayer en Washington, D.C., una reunión con cinco fiscales de los EE. UU. y los principales dirigentes, fiscales y colaboradores del departamento en la Fuerza Operativa Conjunta Alfa (JTFA, por sus siglas en inglés) para hablar sobre la labor de la JTFA en el desmantelamiento de las redes de tráfico y trata de personas que operan cerca de la frontera sudoccidental.

La fiscal general auxiliar en funciones Argentieri estuvo acompañada por el fiscal general Merrick B. Garland, el fiscal Alamdar Hamdani del distrito sur de Texas, el fiscal Jaime Esparza del distrito oeste de Texas, el fiscal Alexander M.M. Uballez del distrito de Nuevo México, el fiscal Gary Restaino del distrito de Arizona y la fiscal Tara K. McGrath del distrito sur de California, quienes son socios claves de la JTFA.

“El tráfico y la trata de personas son delitos insidiosos”, declaró el fiscal general Garland. “Los traficantes de personas se aprovechan de los sueños de una vida mejor de los inmigrantes vulnerables. Ponen en peligro y explotan a las personas con fines lucrativos. Y las redes de tráfico y trata de personas amenazan la seguridad de nuestras comunidades y nuestra seguridad nacional”. Hasta la fecha, la labor de la Fuerza de Tarea Operativa Conjunta Alfa ha dado como resultado más de 260 aprehensiones nacionales e internacionales, más de 170 condenas, importantes penas de prisión y cuantiosas incautaciones y decomisos de bienes y contrabando, incluidos cientos de miles de dólares en efectivo, bienes, vehículos, armas de fuego, municiones y drogas”.

Durante la reunión, la fiscal general auxiliar en funciones Argentieri destacó la labor de la JTFA para exigir responsabilidades a quienes se aprovechan de la desesperación de los migrantes, los ponen en peligro y socavan el estado de derecho mediante el tráfico de personas. Expresó su agradecimiento por el continuo compromiso de las fiscalías estadounidenses y de las autoridades del orden público con la misión fundamental de la JTFA. Fiscales estadounidenses del distrito sur de Texas, del

distrito oeste de Texas, del distrito de Nuevo México, del distrito de Arizona y del distrito sur de California están asignados a la JTFA para investigar y procesar a los traficantes de personas que operan en México, Guatemala, Honduras y El Salvador. La Sección de Derechos Humanos y Enjuiciamientos Especiales de la División Penal dirige a la JTFA en colaboración con las Fiscalías de los Estados Unidos y con el apoyo especializado de la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales; la Oficina de Desarrollo, Asistencia y Capacitación de la Fiscalía; la Sección de Estupefacientes y Drogas Peligrosas; la Sección de Lavado de Dinero y Recuperación de Activos; la Oficina de Operaciones de Aplicación de la Ley; y la Sección de Crimen Violento y Delincuencia Organizada. La JTFA también cuenta con una importante inversión en la aplicación de la ley por parte del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, el FBI, la Administración para el Control de Drogas y otros socios. La JTFA coordina estrechamente con las autoridades del orden público extranjeras las investigaciones transfronterizas, las aprehensiones de objetivos extranjeros y las extradiciones.

En la reunión, los líderes de la JTFA hablaron sobre las formas de utilizar los recursos limitados para mejorar los esfuerzos de aplicación de la ley de EE. UU. para combatir las redes de tráfico y trata de personas más prolíficas y peligrosas que operan en México, Guatemala, El Salvador y Honduras, y fortalecer nuestras relaciones con nuestros socios extranjeros en esos países. La fiscal general auxiliar en funciones Argentieri reafirmó el compromiso de la División Penal de dirigir y apoyar la labor fundamental de la JTFA para desarticular y desmantelar las redes delictivas que explotan a los migrantes y amenazan la seguridad pública.

De izquierda a derecha: fiscal de los EE. UU. Restaino, fiscal de los EE. UU. Uballez, fiscal general auxiliar en funciones Argentieri, fiscal general Garland, fiscal de los EE. UU. McGrath, fiscal de los EE. UU. Hamdani y fiscal de los EE. UU. Esparza.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division convened a meeting with five U.S. Attorneys and the department’s key leaders, prosecutors, and contributors to Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) in Washington, D.C., yesterday to discuss JTFA’s work dismantling human smuggling and trafficking networks operating along the Southwest Border. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri was joined by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico, U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona, and U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath for the Southern District of California, who are key partners in JTFA. 

“Human smuggling and trafficking are insidious crimes,” said Attorney General Garland. “Human smugglers and traffickers prey on vulnerable migrants’ dreams of better lives. They endanger and exploit people for profit. And human smuggling and trafficking networks threaten the safety of our communities and our national security. So far, Joint Task Force Alpha’s work has resulted in over 260 domestic and international arrests; more than 170 convictions; significant jail sentences; and substantial seizures and forfeitures of assets and contraband – including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, property, vehicles, firearms, ammunition, and drugs.”

During the meeting, Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri highlighted JTFA’s work to hold accountable those who prey on migrants’ desperation, put migrants in danger, and undermine the rule of law through human smuggling. She expressed appreciation for the continued commitment from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and law enforcement partners to JTFA’s critical mission. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of New Mexico, District of Arizona, and Southern District of California are detailed to JTFA to investigate and prosecute human smugglers operating in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section leads JTFA in partnership with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and with dedicated support from the Office of International Affairs; Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training; Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; Office of Enforcement Operations; and Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. JTFA coordinates closely with foreign law enforcement partners on cross-border investigations, arrests of foreign targets, and extraditions. 

At the meeting, JTFA leaders discussed ways to use limited resources to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts to combat the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras and strengthen our relationships with our foreign partners in those countries. Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri reaffirmed the Criminal Division’s commitment to leading and supporting JTFA’s critical work to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks who exploit migrants and threaten public safety.

From left to right: U.S. Attorney Restaino, U.S. Attorney Uballez, Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri, Attorney General Garland, U.S. Attorney McGrath, U.S. Attorney Hamdani, and U.S. Attorney Esparza.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned an indictment against Jeremie Sowerby, 45, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, on November 14, 2023, for wire fraud and transactional money laundering.

The indictment alleges that Sowerby scammed a victim-investor, an Arizona physician, out of $207,000 under the guise of a purported risk-free investment opportunity called “Justice Capital.” Sowerby convinced the victim to invest in what he claimed to be an exclusive hedge fund investment opportunity that supposedly used a “bot” algorithm to invest in a product tied to the stock market. Sowerby claimed that the investment and its guaranteed rates of return could be withdrawn in cash or Bitcoin at any time. Instead, however, Sowerby stole the money and used it for himself, including for an $83,000 cashier’s check made out to an entity he owns and controls.

Sowerby was previously charged in a separate case, along with co-defendant Luis Ortega, in a 55-count indictment alleging that Sowerby and Ortega scammed hundreds of victims out of millions of dollars in a cryptocurrency investment scheme under the guise of three entities: Now Mining, VIP Mining, and Millennium Technologies. That case remains pending.

A conviction for wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for transactional money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigation have conducted the investigation in this case. Further investigation remains ongoing. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

The FBI and IRS-CI believe that additional victims of Sowerby’s investment fraud schemes remain unidentified. Anyone who believes they were defrauded by the defendant in this case should contact the Victim Witness Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona at usaaz.victimassist@usdoj.gov or fill out the questionnaire at this link: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-potential-victims-of-jeremie-sowerby-luis-ortega-fraud-schemes.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01586-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-194_Sowerby

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Ryan Niles Ameelyenah, 29, of Parker, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 120 months in prison on count one and 60 months in prison on count two, to run concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release. Ameelyenah was convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (count one) and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury of an Intimate Partner (count two) by a Phoenix jury on August 17, 2023.   

On July 9, 2022, Ameelyenah, an enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT), assaulted the victim, who was an intimate partner, causing her to sustain serious and substantial bodily injury. The assault occurred on the CRIT Indian Reservation and the victim is an enrolled member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and CRIT Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina J. Reid-Moore and W. Vinnie Lichvar, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-01296-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-191_Ameelyenah

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TUCSON, Ariz. – On December 1, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury against John Turscak, 52.

The complaint alleges that while incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Tucson, Turscak stabbed another inmate, D.C., who had previously been convicted of federal crimes in another district, approximately 22 times with an improvised knife.

A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Attempted murder and assault with intent to commit murder violations each carry maximum penalties of 20 years’ incarceration, while assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury each carry maximum penalties of 10 years’ incarceration.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson.
 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-192_Turscak

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PHOENIX, Ariz. –Jesus Vega Perez, 22, of Casa Grande, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Dominic W. Lanza to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Perez was convicted by a federal jury on January 19, 2023, of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Importation of Methamphetamine.

On April 2, 2022, Perez drove a 2018 BMW sedan into the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry (POE) in San Luis, Arizona. At the POE, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 30 packages hidden throughout the vehicle. The packages contained a white crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. The combined weight of the packages was over 30 pounds. Perez presented, and the jury rejected, a duress defense at trial.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00388-PHX-DWL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-190_Perez

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TUCSON, Ariz. – On Tuesday, a federal jury in Tucson convicted Jesus Ernesto Dessens-Romero, 27, of Agua Prieta, Mexico, of multiple alien smuggling offenses, including Conspiracy to Transport and Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit and Bringing in Illegal Aliens to the United States for Profit. The jury also found that Dessens-Romero placed human life in jeopardy during and in relation to his alien smuggling offenses. Each of the alien smuggling convictions carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A conviction for Bringing in Illegal Aliens to the United States for Profit carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison. United States District Court Judge John C. Hinderaker will determine the sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The sentencing date is set for February 22, 2024.

Evidence presented at trial established that Dessens-Romero was the human smuggling foot guide for five Mexican nationals who illegally crossed into the United States on or about February 13, 2021. The group included three sisters – ages 23, 20, and 17 – and their family friend, age 16. Dessens-Romero led the individuals under his care into the rugged and remote Huachuca Mountains near Fort Huachuca in Southern Arizona. He led the group on a perilous route due to less law enforcement presence. The group had limited food and water, and at night, suffered through serious weather conditions including cold and snow.

By February 15, 2021, the 23-year-old sister was in significant physical distress. She was unable to eat or walk or follow simple commands. Dessens-Romero told the group that they were close enough to a traveled roadway where the sick woman could be found if the group left her. Dessens-Romero did not call emergency services. Instead, he located cell phone reception at higher ground in order to call a transnational criminal smuggling organization. Dessens-Romero then led the rest of the group to Sierra Vista where they were picked up by unidentified co-conspirators and transported further into the United States.

The family of the woman left behind contacted authorities on February 16, 2021, to report a missing person. Despite extensive search efforts by United States Border Patrol, military officials from Fort Huachuca, Cochise County Sheriff’s Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), she was not located. In the months following, HSI worked collaboratively with SOS Búsqueda y Rescate, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding missing migrants, to continue searching for the missing woman. On November 20, 2021, members of SOS Búsqueda y Rescate located skeletal remains in an isolated area of the Huachuca Mountains, on Fort Huachuca property. Dental records confirmed that the remains belonged to the missing 23-year-old sister.

At trial, additional evidence confirmed that Dessens-Romero continued to smuggle undocumented non-citizens within the United States until June of 2021. This evidence included WhatsApp messages setting up the transportation of aliens to various locations within the United States, including the transportation of two aliens through Tennessee. Dessens-Romero was arrested on June 30, 2021, by Tennessee Highway Patrol while transporting these two individuals.

This prosecution resulted from the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is part of JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Task Force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime.

Homeland Security Investigations-Douglas office conducted the investigation in this case, in coordination with the Fort Huachuca Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, HSI-Nashville office, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00376-TUC-JCH-JR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-189_Dessens-Romero

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – James Bond, former Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter “Underdog,” of Scottsdale, was arrested early Thanksgiving morning at Miami International Airport after being denied entry into Argentina. Bond faces charges for Sex Trafficking of Minors, Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct in Foreign Places, Production of Child Pornography for Importation to the United States, and other related offenses.

James Bond, who changed his name from Jaymes Christopher Schulte, had his initial court appearance on his indictment on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami. He will be transported to the District of Arizona to face charges.

The indictment alleges that he had sex with eight minors in Colombia and that he solicited, recruited, and enticed the minors to engage in commercial sex acts. He is also alleged to have produced videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and to have distributed these videos through his website.  

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Homeland Security Investigations – Phoenix is conducting the investigation in this case, jointly with the Columbian National Police, HSI Bogota’s Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit- DIPRO, with assistance from HSI Miami, and HSI Attache offices in Buenos Aires. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
                                    

RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-187_Bond

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