District of Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. – On Sep. 22, 2026, Senior United States District Judge Raner C. Collins sentenced Amanda Rachelle Miller, 35, of Tucson, to 204 months (17 years) in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, for leading a large-scale drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other dangerous drugs in Arizona. Miller was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, $25,000 in community restitution, and a $400 special assessment.

Miller directed the enterprise for more than three years while a fugitive in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, leading to three separate federal criminal indictments. As the self-described “Queen of the South,” she supervised couriers, orchestrated bulk drug deliveries, and managed cross‑border money laundering, in total involving dozens of co-conspirators. She also claimed to have conceived the idea for brightly colored “rainbow fentanyl” to boost slumping sales for the Sinaloa Cartel—a marketing tactic the DEA has identified as targeting children and young adults.

Several of Miller’s co-conspirators also received significant sentences.

Alberto Gabriel Aranda-Ramon, a Tucson-based principal leader who coordinated multi‑kilogram fentanyl and methamphetamine deliveries, supervised couriers, and laundered proceeds through straw purchases of luxury vehicles, was sentenced on Aug. 26, 2025, to 198 months (16.5 years) in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Judge Collins also imposed a $25,000 fine, $25,000 in community restitution, and a $900 special assessment.

Michele Oller was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $5,000 in community restitution on Feb. 4, 2025. Oller supervised regional distribution, coordinated deliveries, and collected commissions on multi‑kilogram drug transactions. 

On Aug. 27, 2024, Rodrigo Lopez‑Lozoya was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Lopez-Lozoya transported 17 kilograms of methamphetamine from a Tucson stash house where agents later seized an additional 115 kilograms of methamphetamine, 16.5 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of heroin, and 12 firearms. 

Yehoshua Kilp, identified as one of Miller’s bulk drug customers, was separately prosecuted in the Western District of Washington, where Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo sentenced him to 168 months (14 years) in prison for leading a drug cell tied to Aryan prison gangs in the Pacific Northwest. His sentence included accountability for laundering proceeds benefiting Miller. The Arizona charges were later dismissed.

During the multi‑year investigation, law enforcement seized substantial criminal proceeds from the organization, including approximately $134,444 in U.S. currency; luxury clothing, accessories, and jewelry valued at approximately $87,158; eight vehicles valued at $211,213 (including Forgiato Technica 22” rims worth $12,000); and fourteen firearms valued at over $9,000. Agents also seized Aranda-Ramon’s high‑end sneaker collection, which was forfeited to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and donated to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Southern Arizona, where it was sold and 100% of the proceeds were used to assist families experiencing poverty in central Tucson.

In total, $58,000 in community restitution was ordered. Sixty‑five percent will be paid to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission’s Crime Victim Services, which administers crime victim assistance statewide, and 35% will be paid to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, designated to receive federal substance abuse block grant funds.

“These sentences reflect the strength of the partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement in confronting one of the most prolific fentanyl trafficking networks operating in southern Arizona,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Miller, Aranda-Ramon, and Oller led a coordinated effort to flood our streets with extremely destructive narcotics, and their incarceration makes our community safer. We will continue to relentlessly pursue every organization that threatens the people of Arizona with fentanyl and other dangerous drugs.”

“DEA continues working diligently at targeting and dismantling these dangerous drug trafficking organizations who are poisoning Americans,” said, DEA Special Agent in Charge Apolonio “Polo” Ruiz. “Working with our law enforcement partners is paramount and necessary when standing united to build a Fentanyl Free America.”

“Today’s sentence brings a major drug trafficking organization to justice and sends a clear message to those who profit from poisoning our communities: the Homeland Security Task Force will find you, investigate you, and hold you accountable,” said Jason T. Stevens, special agent in charge for HSI Arizona. “Amanda Rachelle Miller directed a network responsible for moving fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other dangerous narcotics throughout southern Arizona while attempting to shield herself from accountability across the border. Through sustained collaboration among our federal, state, and local partners, this investigation dismantled that network, seized its illicit proceeds, and helped make our communities safer.”

“Leading a drug trafficking organization from outside the United States did not put Amanda Miller beyond the reach of law enforcement,” said U.S. Marshal Van Bayless for the District of Arizona. “This sentence reflects years of work by investigators and prosecutors across agencies to hold her accountable. The U.S. Marshals Service is proud to stand with our partners in protecting Arizona communities from the harm caused by fentanyl and other dangerous drugs.”

This investigation and prosecution are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

HSTF Arizona comprises agents and officers from HSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Oro Valley Police Department, Marana Police Department, and Arizona HIDTA. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael R. Lizano, Ashley Culver, and David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBERS:      21-CR-03072-TUC-RCC
                                       21-CR-02360-TUC-JGZ
                                       22-CR-02454-TUC-RCC  

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-165_Miller, et al.

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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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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Sep. 19 through Sep. 25, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 379 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 155 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 191 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 28 cases against 32 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a Border Patrol Agent (BPA).

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Gilda Sabas Martinez. On Sep. 23, 2026, Gilda Martinez, a United States citizen, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Sep. 22, 2026, a Pinal County Sheriff Deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle that Martinez was driving. In addition to Martinez, the Deputy observed one minor passenger. The Deputy observed indicators of alien smuggling during the stop and contacted Border Patrol to investigate further. BPAs arrived and determined that the minor passenger was a Mexican citizen unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-3363]

United States v. Percy Anthony Kisto. On Sep. 23, 2026, Percy Kisto, a United States citizen, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. On Sep. 22, 2026, BPAs assigned to a checkpoint on State Route 85 observed a GMC Acadia make a U-turn as it was approaching the checkpoint. BPAs conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and located the driver, Kisto, and four passengers inside. Three of the passengers, including a minor, were determined to be citizens of Mexico unlawfully present in the United States. BPAs searched Kisto’s backpack and recovered a firearm. Kisto was prohibited from possessing the firearm as he has a 2015 conviction for Transportation of an Illegal Alien, a felony offense. [Case Number: 26-MJ-3364]

United States v. Ivan Rojas-Menera. On Sep. 22, 2026, Ivan Rojas-Menera was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Chavez-Flores had been previously removed from the United States in April 2019 after being convicted of Conspiracy to Transport a Dangerous Drug for Sale, a felony offense, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County.  Rojas-Menera was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison in that case. [Case Number: 26-MJ-3346]

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-166_September 25, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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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. – Julio Cesar Rodriguez Rojas, 30, of Tucson, was sentenced earlier this month by Senior United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 13 years in prison. Rodriguez Rojas previously pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting Conspiracy to Hostage Take. 

Rodriguez Rojas’ co-conspirators, Olegario Lares-De La Rosa and Ivan Heriberto Borboa-Ruiz, both of Mexico, were previously sentenced to 18 years and 14 years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the same offense. 

On April 6, 2022, Homeland Security Investigations received a tip from an individual in New York that two of his cousins were being held captive and that their captors had demanded a $16,000 ransom for their release. The cousins were illegal aliens who were part of a group of six individuals abducted in the desert by armed men after they crossed into the United States. The armed captors confiscated their cellphones and then transported the six aliens to a house where they were held for multiple days in a room where the door was screwed shut each night to prevent escape. The two cousins were the final hostages to have their ransom paid.

Investigators learned that Borboa-Ruiz made the phone calls arranging for the ransom and hostage exchange. Rodriguez Rojas then instructed Lares-De La Rosa to bring the cousins from where they were being held. 

On April 8, 2022, Borboa-Ruiz arrived at the location of the money exchange in Tucson, Arizona and met with two undercover agents. Borboa-Ruiz was armed with a loaded 9mm pistol that Rodriguez Rojas gave him. Borboa-Ruiz received and counted the $16,000 in cash twice to confirm the ransom had been paid, made a phone call to Rodriguez Rojas stating they were “good,” and that the two victims could be released. In response, Rodriguez Rojas directed Lares-De La Rosa, who was parked nearby, to release the victims. The victims got out of the car and walked to the vehicle where the ransom had been paid. As the victims reached the undercover vehicle, Borboa-Ruiz was immediately arrested by law enforcement.

While agents were arresting Borboa-Ruiz, Lares-De La Rosa sped away, leading agents on a high-speed vehicle chase. During the pursuit, Lares-De La Rosa threw a loaded 9mm pistol out of the window and bailed out of the vehicle. He then fled into a residential neighborhood, hiding in several private backyards before being arrested. Rodriguez Rojas left the scene and was arrested in 2023.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marana Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Serra M. Tsethlikai and Sarah Precup, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. 

CASE NUMBER:            22-CR-00974-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-164_Rodriguez Rojas

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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. – David Kapone Williams, 36, of Tucson, was sentenced on Sep. 16, by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 335 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Williams previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Participate in a Pattern of Racketeering Activity. 

Williams admitted to being a member of the Western Hills Bloods (WHB) criminal street gang that operated in Tucson, Arizona. The WHB was an organized group of individuals involved in a pattern of racketeering activity, including narcotics trafficking, possessing firearms, witness intimidation, and committing violent crimes, including murder, on behalf of the gang.  

According to court documents, on May 15, 2015, along with other WHB members, David Williams murdered a rival gang member in the parking lot of the La Quinta Hotel near the Tucson International Airport. WHB members also participated in the October 2014 homicide of an individual near Fremont Street in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to the violence, Williams engaged in trafficking narcotics in Tucson, and throughout the United States, on behalf of the WHB. 

Several of Williams’ Western Hills Bloods co-defendants were previously sentenced in this case, including:

Marcell Demetrius Gray pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Participate in a Pattern of Racketeering Activity.  Gray was sentenced on May 27, 2026, to 335 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Shawmaine Eustace Ardell Moore pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Participate in a Pattern of Racketeering Activity. He was sentenced on Dec. 3, 2025, to 240 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Samuel Lee Berrelle Rakestraw III pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Participate in a Pattern of Racketeering Activity. Rakestraw was sentenced on May 28, 2025, to 240 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Michael Anthony Williams pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Participate in a Pattern of Racketeering Activity. He was sentenced on Mar. 26, 2025, to 262 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Jermaine Lamar Maxwell pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Participate in a Pattern of Racketeering Activity. He was sentenced to 240 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Cliffton Martinez pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Martinez was sentenced on Dec. 7, 2022, to 78 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. 

Labarr Martinez pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. He was sentenced on July 19, 2023, to 50 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. 

“With Williams’ sentence, this long-fought battle to bring members of the violent Western Hills Bloods to justice finally comes to an end,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “But that doesn’t mean we are anywhere close to ending our mission to bring safety to Tucson’s streets. The persistence of law enforcement and prosecutors in this case should stand as a warning to other gangs and violent offenders out there – we won’t tire in seeking justice.”

“This significant sentence is part of an over ten-year effort to hold members of the Western Hills Bloods, a violent criminal street gang, accountable for their acts of violence and intimidation which they inflicted on the citizens of Tucson,” said A.J. Gibes, Special Agent in Charge for the ATF Phoenix Field Division. “This years-long effort by ATF and our partners with the Tucson Police Department and Arizona Department of Public Safety is indicative of our unwavering commitment to protecting the public from violent armed offenders and armed drug traffickers.”

This investigation is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Tucson Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Sottosanti, Michelle Chamblee, and Brian Hopkins, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            18-CR-01695-TUC-JAS
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-162_Williams, et al.

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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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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Sep. 12 through Sep. 18, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 289 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 152 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 113 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 21 cases against 24 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. 

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Brandon Hernandez, et al. On Sep. 11, 2026, Brandon Hernandez and Kelssy Ayleen Urzua, both United States citizens, were charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien. A Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle that Hernandez was driving, with Urzua as the front seat passenger. During the stop, the Deputy observed two male individuals wearing camouflage clothing hiding in the rear seats. Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) were called to the scene and determined one male passenger was a citizen of Mexico and the other was a citizen of El Salvador, both unlawfully present in the United States.  [Case Number: 26-MJ-5460]

United States v. Javier Chavez-Flores. On Sep. 11, 2026, Javier Chavez-Flores was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Chavez-Flores had been previously removed from the United States in February 2026 after being convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 3rd degree (Victim Mentally Impaired/Helpless), in the District Court for the State of Minnesota. Chavez-Flores was sentenced to 253 days in prison and 5 years of probation in that case. [Case Number: 26-MJ-5453]

United States v. Leonel Esteban Loreto. Leonel Esteban Loreto was charged by criminal complaint on Sep. 14, 2026, with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. On Sep. 11, 2026, BPAs near Naco, AZ observed Loreto driving a Chevy Tahoe down a road commonly used for alien smuggling and reverse direction less than one minute later. BPAs attempted to stop the vehicle to conduct an immigration inspection, but Loreto failed to yield. Instead, the driver sped up, reaching speeds of 90-100 mph before finally pulling over. BPAs found a passenger in the rear seat of the Tahoe wearing camouflage clothing. The passenger was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-09711]

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-161_September 18, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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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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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Rita Ntusa Anagho, 54, of San Tan Valley, Arizona, was sentenced on Monday to 14 years in prison for her role in fraudulently billing Arizona’s Medicaid agency more than $69 million in less than one year for addiction treatment therapy. Many of the patients that Anagho used to fuel her scheme were Native Americans covered by Arizona Medicaid under a specific program that reimbursed at higher rates than other Medicaid programs. 

In addition to the prison sentence, Anagho was ordered to pay almost $55 million in restitution, and to forfeit almost $9.5 million in fraud proceeds seized from seven bank accounts she controlled and almost $7 million in real estate properties.

“Ms. Anagho’s scheme manipulated a program that was intended to help Native Americans in Arizona,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “The fourteen-year sentence that she received is a sign of how serious and damaging health care fraud is to our society, and how important it is that we stop individuals who undermine the value of these programs.”

“The Fraud Division is determined to hold accountable individuals who exploit the Medicaid system and Native American health care programs,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “This sentence sends a clear message—if you take advantage of vulnerable populations to steal from the American taxpayer, you will pay the price.”

According to court documents, Anagho owned and operated Tusa Integrated Clinic, LLC (Tusa), an addiction treatment center that fraudulently billed the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) over $69 million from approximately May 2022 through March 2023. AHCCCS paid Tusa approximately $54.9 million based on these false and fraudulent claims.

Anagho, a licensed nurse practitioner, coordinated and carried out this massive health care fraud scheme by exploiting vulnerable substance abuse treatment patients. Anagho enrolled patients whose health care coverage was provided by the AHCCCS in her clinic, specifically targeting those who were covered under the American Indian Health Care Program (AIHP) fee-for-service plan available to Native Americans. Anagho and her co-conspirators often deliberately sought such patients because the AIHP provided higher reimbursement rates than other AHCCCS health care plans. Anagho orchestrated this scheme to defraud AHCCCS by submitting false claims for purported addiction treatment services that were either not provided at all or not provided as billed.

Anagho and her co-conspirators also paid illegal kickbacks to owners of local sober homes for patients who were referred to her clinic. Anagho and others falsified the treatment notes and records related to the purported addiction treatment services to conceal the scheme. Anagho then laundered the proceeds of her fraud and obstructed the investigation of her crimes by instructing her former employees to create fake medical records when Tusa received a subpoena for documents.

In May 2025, Anagho pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud. 

FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case and received substantial assistance from the AHCCCS Office of Inspector General. 

Assistant Deputy Chief James V. Hayes and Trial Attorney Sarah Edwards of the Fraud Division’s Health Care Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Williams for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph F. Bozdech for the District of Arizona assisted with forfeiture matters.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

CASE NUMBER:            24-CR-01044-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-160_Anagho

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an indictment against Ruffin Alford III, 48, of Tucson, Arizona, for Theft of Government Money. Alford is scheduled to appear in federal court on Sep. 25.  

The indictment alleges that between October 2020 and August 2025, Alford III retained $104,013 in Social Security benefits issued to his deceased mother’s bank account. 

A conviction for Theft of Government Money carries a maximum penalty of 10 years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. 

Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey Marasco and Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, are handling the prosecution. 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:            26-CR-04592-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-159_Alford

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – In a joint press conference in San Diego today, United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine announced charges against a Peoria man who is accused of fraudulently billing Arizona’s Medicaid agency more than $33 million in one year and using the funds to purchase property and a luxury vehicle. 

On September 8, 2026, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned an 11-count indictment against Maurice Marcell Williams, 48, of Peoria, Arizona for health care fraud and money laundering. 

The indictment alleges that Williams owned and operated Thinking and Learning Together 2, LLC (TLT), which held itself out as a behavioral treatment provider in Phoenix. According to the indictment, Williams defrauded Arizona’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) by failing to disclose in his initial AHCCCS application his ownership of TLT and his prior criminal conviction, as well as by billing AHCCCS for services that were never rendered. Williams specifically targeted AHCCCS members who were covered under the American Indian Health Care Program (AIHP) fee-for-service plan available to Native Americans. Between May 2022 and May 2023, Williams billed AHCCCS over $33 million and AHCCCS paid Williams approximately $19.7 million based on these false and fraudulent claims. The indictment also includes forfeiture allegations that seek forfeiture of two residential properties, a Rolls Royce Cullinan, and brokerage accounts owned by Williams.

A conviction for health care fraud and money laundering carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of conviction.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Homeland Securities Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation, with substantial assistance from the AHCCCS Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aron Ketchel, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution. 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:            26-CR-1055-PHX-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-158_Williams

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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. – On Sep. 9, 2026, Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tucson District Office, conducted a multi-state enforcement operation resulting in the arrest of Alastair Mark Sanderson, 39, of Overland Park, Kansas; William Robert Norris, 43, of Westworth Village, Texas; and Michael Christian Packard, 36, of Fort Worth, Texas. Sanderson and Norris are the principal managers of LFA Machines DFW, LLC. Packard is a former long-time employee of LFA. 

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, LFA Machines sells a variety of tableting machines and other products to customers across the United States. Often called pill presses, tableting machines are used to compress powder formulations into pill form, creating pills of uniform size, shape, and weight. LFA Machines sells a line of desktop tablet presses that are low cost and can produce up to 5,000 tablets per hour. The distribution, importation, and exportation of tableting machines is regulated under federal law and encompasses stringent know-your-customer requirements. 

LFA Machines also sells a product called Firmapress. Firmapress is a binding agent added during the manufacturing process that helps ingredients blend smoothly, flow easily as powders, and bind together to form durable pills or tablets. LFA Machines advertises that Firmapress, which is available in multiple colors, enables “entrepreneurs, home users or businesses [to] pick out an active ingredient, add Firmapress and have a pharmaceutical grade tablet from day one.” These qualities make LFA’s products ideal for use in clandestine illicit drug labs.

The DEA has identified the proliferation of pill press machines as an emerging threat. Drug traffickers use pill presses to press fentanyl into pills and punches and dies to imprint markings and logos onto those pills, producing pills that look like legitimate prescription medication—like oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall—when those pills, in fact, contain fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other deadly drugs. In 2025, the DEA seized more than 47 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and nearly 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.

Over the course of a multi-year investigation, federal investigators not only recovered LFA’s pill presses and other products from multiple clandestine labs around the United States, but developed evidence showing that Sanderson, Norris, and Packard conspired to and did sell LFA’s products to customers knowing, intending, or having reasonable cause to believe that they would be used to manufacture illicit controlled substances. 

On August 21, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned a six-count indictment against LFA Machines, Sanderson, Norris, and Packard alleging one count of Conspiracy to Unlawfully Manufacture, Distribute, Export, and Import Tableting Machines, Equipment, Chemicals, Products, and Materials; two counts of Unlawfully Distributing Chemicals, Products, and Materials; and three counts of Unlawfully Distributing a Tableting Machine. A conviction for each of these crimes carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the individual defendants and, for LFA Machines, a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense, whichever is greater.

The DEA’s Tucson District Office and SPEAR group led the investigation.

This investigation and prosecution are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. 

HSTF Arizona comprises agents and officers from HSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Oro Valley Police Department, Marana Police Department, and Arizona HIDTA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Lizano, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution. 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:            26-CR-04376-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-157_LFA Machines, et al.

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Sep. 5 through Sep. 11, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 306 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 145 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 137 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 20 cases against 24 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. 

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Luis Carlos Leyva-Clark. On Sep. 10, 2026, Luis Carlos Leyva-Clark was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Sep. 9, 2026, a Department of Public Safety Trooper stopped a Nissan Altima on I-10 for displaying suspended plates. As he approached the vehicle, the trooper saw that the front seat passenger and the three backseat passengers were wearing camouflage clothing. Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) were called to the scene and confirmed that the four passengers were aliens, all unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-5444]

United States v. Frank Bubbico. Frank Bubbico was charged by criminal complaint on Sep. 8, 2026, with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. On Sep. 4, 2026, BPAs observed a Honda Civic traveling at a high rate of speed on State Route 82. Records checks revealed that the Honda Civic’s license plate belonged to a different vehicle, so BPAs attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver, Bubbico, initially activated his hazard lights and appeared to be looking for a spot to pull over. However, Bubbico failed to yield and instead accelerated, reaching speeds of approximately 70 miles per hour. Other BPAs in the area deployed a vehicle immobilization device and successfully spiked the Honda Civic, but Bubbico still did not slow down. Bubbico’s vehicle lost both front tires as it was approaching the town of Sonoita and he was finally pulled over by a Department of Public Safety trooper. BPAs joined the trooper and found a Mexican citizen hiding in the vehicle who was unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-03864]

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-156_September 11, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal grand jury in Phoenix yesterday returned an indictment against Brian Matthew Griffeth, 48, of Tonto Basin, Arizona, for Transporting a Minor with Intent that the Minor Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity. 

The indictment alleges that between December 2023 and July 3, 2026, Griffeth transported a minor between Arizona and Florida with the intent that the minor engage in criminal sexual activity, including production of child pornography.

According to the previously filed criminal complaint, the FBI opened an investigation in November 2025 into Griffeth’s purported sexual abuse of the minor. Through the investigation, law enforcement learned that Griffeth had allegedly committed sexual acts with the minor when they were 13 and living in Arizona, and continued that abuse until the minor was 16, sometimes recording the interactions. During that time, Griffeth moved with his family and the minor to Florida.

A conviction for Transportation of a Minor for Criminal Sexual Activity carries a minimum penalty of 10 years, and a maximum penalty of life, a maximum of $250,000 fine, and a maximum term of supervised release of life. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and 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, visit justice.gov/PSC. 

The FBI’s Phoenix Division conducted the investigation, with assistance from the FBI’s Jacksonville office and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

Indictments and criminal complaints are formal accusations of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:            26-MJ-04268-PCT-CDB; 26-CR-01063-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-154_Griffeth

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Hugo Jesus Munoz, 34, of Rio Rico, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 60 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Munoz previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments. 

As part of the drug conspiracy, Munoz distributed 4 kilograms of fentanyl and 3.5 kilograms of methamphetamine using the U.S. Postal Service. As part of the money laundering conspiracy, Munoz had $105,000 in drug proceeds deposited into his personal and business bank accounts from his drug distribution customers.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. This HSTF Arizona investigation involved agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration in Detroit, Michigan and Tucson, Arizona, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. 

CASE NUMBER: 23-CR-2465-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-155_Munoz

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Adonijah Josiah Ortega, 23, of Phoenix, was sentenced on Sept. 3, by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 171 months in prison for a 2022 carjacking during which Ortega shot and assaulted a man with a firearm. Ortega previously pleaded guilty to Carjacking and Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. 

On the morning of Aug. 8, 2022, Ortega approached the victim in a business parking lot in Peoria, Arizona. There, he demanded the victim’s wallet and keys and a physical confrontation ensued. During the confrontation, Ortega struck the victim in the head several times with a pistol and shot him in the leg. Ortega then fled with the victim’s vehicle and later attempted to set it on fire by dousing the interior with gasoline and shooting at it. Investigators with the FBI and Peoria and Phoenix Police Departments arrested Ortega three days later at an apartment complex. 

“Violent perpetrators like Mr. Ortega should know there is no safe place for them in Arizona because we won’t rest until we see them behind bars,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Our office is committed to the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods because it is an initiative that continues to see results.”  

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

The Peoria Police Department, in conjunction with the FBI’s Phoenix Division, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick E. Chapman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Day, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            22-CR-22-01078-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-153_Ortega

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Aug. 29 through Sep. 4, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 265 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 128 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 124 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 12 cases against 13 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. 

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Andrew Lee Esquivel. On August 29, 2026, Andrew Lee Esquivel was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On August 28, 2026, a Pinal County deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Trax on I-10. As the deputy approached the Trax, he saw the passenger lying on the floorboard of the car. The car also contained a camouflage backpack, camouflage clothing, and carpet shoes in the back seat. When the deputy returned to his vehicle, the passenger fled on foot and ran across both lanes of traffic. The passenger was located 2 hours later, several miles away from the original stop. Border Patrol agents confirmed the passenger is a citizen of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [26-MJ-6362]

United States v. Julian Beltran-Montoya. On September 3, 2026, Julian Beltran-Montoya, was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Beltran-Montoya had been previously removed from the United States in 2020. In 2012, he was convicted of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, in the United States District Court, District of Wyoming. Beltran-Montoya was sentenced to 120 in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release in that case. [26-MJ-3322]

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-152_September 4, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – On Monday, Rodney Rosenstein, 58, of Huntington Beach, California, was ordered detained pending trial for his involvement in multiple fraud schemes. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an indictment against Rosenstein for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit False Statements to Influence a Financial Institution. 

The indictment alleges that Rosenstein and other co-conspirators obtained approximately $2.9 million from 15 fraudulent loans under the Paycheck Protection Program’s Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act. Rosenstein and his co-conspirators obtained such loans using fake employment tax and W-2 forms. The co-conspirators also submitted fraudulent payroll documentation and other false statements to receive loan forgiveness. According to the indictment, Rosenstein and his co-conspirators obtained another $35 million in loans by using fake “rent roll” documents and other false statements in a commercial loan fraud scheme. 

A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit False Statement to Influence a Financial Institution carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:            26-CR-04213-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-151_Rosenstein

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine hosted the 33rd Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Glendale, Arizona this week. 

The three-day event, held at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Conference Center, brought together over 150 attendees from Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico to train and collaborate on strategies to improve victim services, strengthen relationships between prosecutors, law enforcement, and communities, and discuss issues of concern to the four corners region. 

Started in 1992, the Four Corners Indian Country Conference already has a rich history in providing a forum for practitioners to express concerns, discuss solutions, and share resources. This year’s conference featured speakers, cultural presentations, and state-based breakout sessions to facilitate the exchange of ideas. 

“For over 30 years, the Four Corners Indian Country Conference has played an important role in building relationships across state lines and tribal borders to better serve victims,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “We are honored to have had the opportunity to continue that tradition by hosting this year’s event in Arizona.”

The District of Arizona handles one of the most robust Indian Country dockets in the country and serves as the exclusive felony prosecutor for nearly all of the 22 federally-recognized tribes whose reservations fall in whole or in part in Arizona.

Next year’s conference will be hosted by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Utah.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-150_Four Corners

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TUCSON, Ariz. – On Tuesday, Jarret Haines, 37, of Sells Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Jennifer Zipps to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Haines previously pleaded guilty to Assault by Strangulation.

On Jan. 24, 2025, Haines, an enrolled member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, assaulted the victim by punching her multiple times in the face and then fastening a large zip tie around her neck until she lost consciousness. Her son called 911 and Tohono O’odham law enforcement promptly intervened.

“On the heels of the annual Four Corners Conference taking place this week in Glendale, Arizona, prosecutions such as this underscore the USAO’s dedication to working with our partners to protect indigenous victims of intimate partner violence within our native communities,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine.

The Tohono O’odham Police Department conducted the investigation, in conjunction with the FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Schmit, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-25-01431-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-148_Haines

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Aug. 22 through Aug. 28, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 293 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 149 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 132 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 11 cases against 12 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. 

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

U.S. v. Jesus Antonio Madrigal. Jesus Antonio Madrigal was charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 24, 2026, with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Aug. 21, 2026, Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) observed a Honda Accord traveling south on Federal Route (FR) 19, a route that runs from Sells, AZ to the United States border with Mexico. A short time later, BPAs observed the same vehicle traveling north on FR19. BPAs initiated a stop to conduct an immigration inspection, but the driver failed to yield. BPAs pursued the vehicle as it traveled at speeds over 100 mph. BPAs at the immigration checkpoint on State Route 86 deployed spike strips and successfully immobilized the vehicle. The driver was identified as Jesus Antonio Madrigal. The rear seat passenger was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-05507]

U.S. v. Jabari Kaleem Mims. Jabari Kaleem Mims was charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 24, 2026, with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. On Aug. 22, 2026, BPA camera operators observed a BMW pulled over at Border Road and saw one person get into the vehicle. BPAs who were parked further north attempted to follow the vehicle as it passed. The driver, later identified as Mims, ran a stop sign and began accelerating. BPAs attempted to stop the vehicle, but Mims failed to yield. Camera operators maintained a visual of the vehicle and saw Mims pull over. One subject got out of the BMW and ran into the brush on the side of the road. BPAs eventually found the subject, who was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. BPAs continued to pursue Mims, who eventually yielded and was taken into custody. [Case Number: 26-MJ-05508]

U.S. v. Jose Manuel Arenas-Pinzon. On Aug. 23, 2026, Jose Manuel Arenas-Pinzon was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Arenas-Pinzon was previously removed from the United States on June 2, 2021, after being convicted of Transportation of Dangerous Drugs for Sale in the Superior Court of Arizona. Arenas-Pinzon was sentenced to ten years in prison in that case. [Case Number: 26-MJ-3275]

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-149_August 28, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Juan Jose Castillo, 28, of Lubbock, Texas, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of Coercion and Enticement. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2026, before Chief United States District Court Judge Jennifer G. Zipps.

According to the plea agreement, Castillo admitted that between Feb. 2024 and Oct. 2024, he communicated with a minor victim in Arizona and enticed the victim to engage in sexual activity with him. Castillo further admitted that between Oct. 18–21, 2024, he traveled to Arizona with the intent to engage in that conduct. During the trip, Castillo engaged in sexual activity with the victim.

A conviction for Coercion and Enticement carries maximum penalties of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and lifetime supervised release.

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. Attorney’s 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.

Homeland Security Investigations – Tucson conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Walters and Alessandra C. Bermudez, District of Arizona, Tucson, are handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-25-01804-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-147_J. Castillo

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jorge Adan Garcia Martinez, 21, of Roll, Arizona, was sentenced on Aug. 25, 2026, by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 130 months in prison. Garcia Martinez previously pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting the Receipt of Firearms for Use in a Drug Trafficking Crime. 

Between April 2023 and November 4, 2024, Juan Carlos Yanez Molina, 27, of Somerton, Arizona, Jonathan Daniel Hernandez Noriega, 25, of San Luis, Arizona, Jose Guadalupe Cota Garcia, 25, of Mexico, and Roani Hernandez Jr., 27, of Bullhead City, Arizona, straw purchased firearms from federal firearms licensees in the Yuma area for Garcia Martinez. 

On June 21, 2024, Garcia Martinez coordinated the delivery of five pistols and magazines to Carlos Eduardo Diaz-Barba, 21, of San Luis, Arizona. Diaz-Barba then tried to smuggle the pistols and magazines into Mexico at the port of entry in San Luis, Arizona on Garcia Martinez’s behalf. The investigation revealed that the firearms were destined for Los Salazares, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Electronic evidence showed that Garcia Martinez was also the leader of Fuerzas Especiales Jackson, a group of sicarios operating in San Luis, Sonora, Mexico. The group carried out kidnappings, torture, and murders. Garcia Martinez was arrested on Oct. 7, 2024, after law enforcement discovered his plan to retaliate against a rival group for an attack in San Luis, Sonora, that killed and injured members of his group. Garcia Martinez’s arrest disrupted a firearms trafficking cell operating in the Yuma area, and dismantled a group of sicarios operating in San Luis, Sonora.

Yanez Molina, Hernandez Noriega, Cota Garcia, and Hernandez Jr. were all previously convicted of Material False Statements During the Acquisition of Firearms. Yanez Molina was sentenced to 18 months in prison, Hernandez Noriega was sentenced to 36 months in prison, Cota Garcia was sentenced to 10 months in prison, and Hernandez was sentenced to 8 months in prison. 

Diaz-Barba pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting the Receipt of Firearms for Use in a Drug Trafficking Crime. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 31, 2026, before United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa.

Homeland Security Investigations Yuma led the investigation, in collaboration with the El Centro Field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, with assistance from the FBI Phoenix Division’s Yuma office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection - San Luis Port of Entry, U.S. Department of Commerce’s Phoenix Field Office, and U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Sector. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria R. Gutierrez, Brandon M. Brown, and Benjamin S. Goldberg, handled this prosecution. 

CASE NUMBER:            24-CR-01820-01-PHX -DJH 
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-146_Garcia Martinez

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A former tribal police officer with the San Carlos Apache Police Department (SCAPD) was charged in an indictment today with two federal crimes arising out of his use of excessive force against a handcuffed arrestee and his falsification of another officer’s report.

The indictment charges Jacob Christopher Slawson, 29, with deprivation of rights under color of law, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242, and falsification of records, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519. According to the indictment, after an arrestee was handcuffed and secured in the back of a police vehicle, Slawson punched the arrestee in the face, knocking him unconscious, and then yanked him out of the vehicle causing N.G. to split his head open on the concrete, resulting in bodily injury. The indictment further alleges that when Slawson learned he was under investigation for excessive force, he falsified the report of a fellow detective by adding false and misleading information to the report with the intent to obstruct the investigation. If convicted of both charges, Slawson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona, and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Phoenix Field Office made the announcement.

This case was investigated by agents with the FBI’s Tucson Resident Agency and Phoenix Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Davenport III for the District of Arizona and Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

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

TUCSON, Ariz. – On Aug. 19, 2026, Sonny Reyes Lozano, 38, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Rosemary Marquez to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Lozano previously pleaded guilty to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.

On Dec. 14, 2025, Lozano, an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, confronted the victim as he was walking home. Lozano struck the victim approximately eight times with a metal rod, inflicting serious injuries. The victim sustained a fractured ulna. 

At the time of the assault, Lozano was under supervised release for a previous conviction. 

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office and the Pascua Yaqui Police Department conducted the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            25-CR-05654-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-145_Lozano

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an indictment against Davide Velarde, 44, of Tucson for making materially false statements on background investigation forms to obtain employment with federal contractors for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

The indictment alleges that while Mr. Velarde was still on active duty with the United States Air Force (USAF), he held positions with federal contractors for the IRS and NASA after making false statements about when he would retire from the USAF. After retiring, Mr. Velarde made additional false statements while applying to work for a federal contractor for NOAA to conceal that he had been previously fired from federal contract work. Mr. Velarde is alleged to have earned approximately $466,708 in wages from the USAF and the federal contractors between August 2021 and October 2025.  

“American servicemembers are held to the highest level of integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “This case is about protecting the honor of every other airman by holding David Velarde accountable for his alleged falsehoods. Our office is proud to stand with the United States Air Force and the many excellent investigators involved in this matter.” 

“You cannot be in multiple places at once, and you certainly cannot mislead the federal government to obtain simultaneous employment,” said Jennifer Bryan, Special Agent in Charge of the NASA Office of Inspector General’s Western Field Office. “David Velarde’s scheme to collect multiple paychecks was both an abuse of taxpayer dollars and a breach of public trust. Let this indictment be an example to those who attempt to game the federal contracting system.”

“As the nation’s tax watchdog, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) contracting and procurement processes” said Special Agent in Charge Krystofor Proev of TIGTA’s Northwest Field Division. “We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their continued collaboration and critical support in this investigation.”

“According to the indictment, David Velarde knowingly provided false information to secure federal contract positions, including with NOAA,” said Judd Leinum, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General. “Misrepresenting employment history and eligibility threatens the integrity of federal procurement and the protection of taxpayer funds. Any attempt to deceive federal agencies will not be tolerated. We appreciate the partnership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona and our law enforcement partners in pursuing this matter.”

“This is another great example of interagency efforts to stem fraudulent activity impacting entities across the federal government,” said Special Agent Richard Kautz, AFOSI Detachment 217 Commander. “This case highlights the ever-present commitment of the involved agencies to protecting the integrity of our hiring and employment practices.”

A conviction for making false statements carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. 

Investigators from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; United States Air Force, Office of Special Investigations; and Department of Defense Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution. 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:            26-CR-04345-TUC- SHR 
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-144_Velarde

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Marlin Leon Nez, 45, and Megan Ashley Yarber, 36, both of Chinle, Arizona, were sentenced on Aug. 17, 2026, by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to time-served sentences, after serving more than 16 months in prison for their roles in concealing the murder of a Navajo man. Nez and Yarber were also ordered to pay restitution to the victim’s family for expenses incurred in searching for the missing victim. Nez and Yarber previously pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony. 

According to court documents, on July 11, 2024, Wendell Draper, a Navajo man, shot and killed the victim in Nez’s residence. Following the murder, Nez helped Draper wrap the victim’s body and lift it into the back of the victim’s own vehicle. Draper then drove out to a rural location, buried the victim in a shallow grave, drove to a secondary location, and set the victim’s vehicle on fire. Yarber picked Draper up from the site of the burned vehicle and drove him back to the residence. Nez and Yarber knew that Draper had committed a federal felony by unlawfully killing the victim but failed to notify a federal authority as soon as possible. 

Following the murder, the victim’s family reported him missing and searched for him for weeks. His body was eventually recovered and returned to the family. Draper was shot and killed after allegedly pointing a firearm at law enforcement officers who were attempting to arrest him. 

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Gallup office and the Navajo Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-25-08034-PCT-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-142_Nez

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Aug. 15 through Aug. 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 253 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 115 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 120 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 14 cases against 17 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a federal agent.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Joshua David Estrada, et al. On Aug. 17, 2026, Joshua David Estrada, Crystal Maria Vargs, and Erika Williams, were charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Aug. 14, Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) followed Estrada, who was driving alone in a Toyota Tundra, to a field where he met up with several other drivers. About 30 minutes later, Estrada drove away from the field, closely followed by a gray Nissan Rogue and a black Jeep. All three vehicles were traveling in tandem toward Phoenix and appeared to be carrying several passengers. BPAs stopped the vehicles and learned that Estrada was transporting six passengers, all illegal aliens, Vargas, the driver of the Nissan Rogue, was transporting five illegal aliens, and Williams, the driver of the Jeep, was transporting six illegal aliens. In total, BPAs apprehended 16 illegal aliens, all unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-01663]

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-143_August 21, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Santiago Luis Valencia, Jr., 36, of Tucson, was sentenced earlier this month by Chief United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 87 months in prison. Valencia previously pleaded guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter. 

On June 15, 2024, Valencia assaulted the victim at a private residence on the Pascua Yaqui Tribe after initiating a physical altercation. During the fight, the victim suffered a head injury that resulted in his death the following day. Both Valencia and the victim were enrolled members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office and the Pascua Yaqui Police Department conducted the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-24-04265-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-140_Valencia

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Moises Gabriel Castillo, Jr., 40, of Weatherford, Texas, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Castillo previously pleaded guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person, Causing Serious Bodily Injury and Resulting in Death. 

On July 24, 2024, Castillo, an interstate truck driver, caused a collision between the commercial semi-truck he was driving and another semi-truck on Interstate 10 near Rita Road, Tucson. At the time, Castillo was transporting four passengers inside his truck who were later determined to be illegal aliens, unlawfully present in the United States. During the crash, one passenger was ejected and two others, one of whom was 16 years old, suffered serious bodily injury. The ejected passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The surviving aliens stated they were paying to be smuggled further into the United States, and Castillo admitted that he expected to be paid for transporting them.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Arizona Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-24-07586-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-139_Castillo

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – A Phoenix man who received over $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans by submitting fraudulent applications was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Sharad H. Desai to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Jamar Johnson, 54, previously pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud.

Johnson admitted that he submitted false applications in order to obtain PPP loans on behalf of his entity, CBL Worldwide II. For example, in one of the applications, Johnson stated that the company had 73 employees and over $4.8 million in annual payroll expenses. In reality, CBL Worldwide II had zero employees and no payroll expenses. As a result of his fraudulent misrepresentations, Johnson received two PPP loans totaling $1,007,650.

Johnson spent the money on himself, including by purchasing cryptocurrency, a vehicle, and cosmetic dentistry. At sentencing, Johnson was ordered to pay full restitution to the Small Business Administration (SBA). 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief under the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case, with substantial assistance from the SBA, Office of Inspector General. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            25-CR-00738-PHX-SHD
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-141_Johnson

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jeremie Andrew Sowerby, 48, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, pleaded guilty earlier this month to Wire Fraud and admitted to scamming hundreds of victims through a series of investment fraud schemes spanning from 2017 through 2023. Sowerby’s plea resolves charges filed against him in three separate criminal cases. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 14, 2026, before United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich.

As part of his plea, Sowerby admitted to defrauding approximately 400 victims from 2017 through 2018 in a cryptocurrency investment scheme under the guise of three entities: Now Mining, VIP Mining, and Millennium Technologies. Sowerby represented himself as a multi-level marketing promoter and defrauded victims of at least $7.5 million. Sowerby was indicted for this scheme alongside a co-defendant, Luis Ortega, against whom the charges are still pending.

Sowerby also admitted to defrauding at least 150 victims through Dumanis Global Technologies from 2018 through 2019. Sowerby convinced victims to buy cryptocurrency mining machines, along with their monthly storage and power costs, but the machines did not actually exist. Victims of the Dunamis scheme suffered several million dollars in losses.

Finally, Sowerby admitted to engaging in a scheme called Justice Capital from 2021 through 2023, which was marketed as a hedge fund offered only to high-income earners. Justice Capital allegedly traded using a “bot” algorithm. Through Justice Capital, Sowerby admitted to defrauding an individual out of $207,000.

A conviction for Wire Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 

As part of his plea agreement, Sowerby agreed to pay restitution of up to $30 million to victims of his schemes involving the following companies: Now Mining, VIP Mining, Millennium Technologies, Dunamis Global Technologies, SOFTEK, LLC, Justice Capital, Stealth Capital, FX Primary, Phoenix Ultra, Limitless Trading, Block Mint, Block X (BLKX), Digital Mint, 888 Management, Kannabiz Koin (KK), Kannabiz Monkeez, My Blockchain Life, My Block X, and We Sell Miners. 

Law enforcement is continuing to work to identify all of the victims related to these schemes. If you have not already spoken to the FBI related to this matter, and you believe you are a victim of any of the entities listed above, Sowerby, or Ortega, please fill out the questionnaire at this link.

The FBI’s Phoenix Division and IRS-Criminal Investigation are conducting the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Short, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution. 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBERS:         CR-23-01586-PHX-SMB
                                       CR-23-01321-PHX-SMB
                                       CR-23-01757-PHX-SMB

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-138_Sowerby  

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Aug. 8 through Aug. 14, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 268 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 122 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 124 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 17 cases against 22 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Martin Alberto Cota Jr.. Cota was charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 10, 2026, with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. On Aug. 8, 2026, BPAs observed a vehicle traveling east on State Route 82. Records checks revealed that the vehicle had a cancelled registration and had entered the United States through the Nogales Port of Entry with one occupant. BPAs now observed two occupants in the vehicle. BPAs initiated a vehicle stop but the driver rapidly accelerated. Approximately three miles later, the driver abruptly pulled to the side of the road where a subject exited from the passenger's side. The driver then continued traveling east on State Route 82 before eventually pulling into a gas station. BPAs took the driver, Cota, into custody. Other BPAs in the area apprehended the subject who had exited the vehicle earlier. The subject was determined to be a citizen of Mexican, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-2269]

United States v. Marcelino Iganacio Mendoza-Santos. On Aug. 10, 2026, Marcelino Iganacio Mendoza-Santos was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Aug. 7, an Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper stopped Mendoza-Santos for speeding. Border Patrol assisted with the stop and determined that Mendoza-Santos’ four passengers were citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-1648]

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-137_August 14, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Roman Emilio Rascon Jr., 36, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on Aug. 11, by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 78 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Rascon previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. 

As part of the drug conspiracy, Rascon distributed more than six kilograms of cocaine and possessed firearms when he distributed the cocaine. In addition to serving over six years in prison, the District Court ordered Rascon to forfeit vehicles, firearms, ammunition, and drug proceeds.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. This HSTF Arizona investigation involved agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. 

CASE NUMBER:            CR-24-5214-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-136_Rascon

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Aug. 1 through Aug. 7, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 227 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 84 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 123 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 16 cases against 20 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Gerardo Parada-Reyes. On July 31, 2026, Gerardo Parada-Reyes was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Parada-Reyes had been previously removed from the United States in 2019 after being convicted of Manufacturing/Distributing/Possession with Intent to Distribute – Heroin/Cocaine – Equal to or Greater than 5 Ounces in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Ocean County. Parada-Reyes was sentenced to 10 years in prison in that case. [26-MJ-5371]

United States v. Norberto Antunez-Moreno. On Aug. 5, 2026, Norberto Antunez-Moreno was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Antunez-Moreno had been previously removed from the United States in 2017 after being convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. Antunez-Moreno was sentenced to 16 months in prison in that case. [26-MJ-3205]

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-134_August 7, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Eric Garcia, 31, of Tucson, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Marquez to 19 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Garcia previously pleaded guilty to one count of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child.

The investigation revealed that on an unknown date between November 11, 2014, and November 11, 2016, Garcia, an enrolled member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, had sexual contact with a child under the age of 12 on the Tohono O’odham Nation near Hickiwan, Arizona.

The Tohono O’odham Police Department and the FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Cassell, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            24-CR-5231-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-133_Garcia

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – A woman convicted of selling counterfeit Native American jewelry was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine yesterday in federal court.

Molly Breivis, 57, of San Francisco, California, was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Alison Bachus to time served in addition to the fine. Breivis pleaded guilty on the same day to Misrepresentation of Indian Produced Goods of Less Than $1,000. Pursuant to her plea agreement, Breivis agreed to issue a public letter of apology to the Native America community that will be published on the Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB) website.

Breivis fraudulently sold Native American jewelry online between approximately 2020 and 2024 on her eBay store. She claimed the jewelry was produced by Apache, Laguna, Navajo, or Zuni artists. Breivis, however, imported the jewelry from Asia and it was not produced by Native American artists. Breivis received two warning letters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through the IACB, warning her that selling counterfeit Native American jewelry violated the Indian Arts and Crafts Act but she ignored those warnings. In total, Breivis admitted to selling over $92,000 in counterfeit jewelry. In her letter of apology that will be published on the IACB website, Breivis wrote, “I recognize that my conduct harmed customers and affected Native American artists, artisans, and businesses that depend on the sale of authentic work. I understand that it also undermined confidence in the market for authentic Native American jewelry.”

“The deliberate misrepresentation and sale of counterfeit Native American jewelry, as seen in this case, inflicts real harm on both the marketplace and the cultural heritage of Native American artists and tribes,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “These fraudulent practices deceive consumers and undermine the economic wellbeing of Native American communities. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, remains steadfast in investigating Indian Arts and Crafts Act violations. Our dedicated team of special agents works tirelessly to protect the integrity and authenticity of Native American art, ensuring that artists and tribes are recognized and respected for their genuine craftsmanship.”

“By statute, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, U.S. Department of the Interior, is responsible for administering and enforcing the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, a truth-in-marketing law intended to remove counterfeit Indian art from the marketplace to protect Indian artists, economies, and cultures, as well as consumers nationwide,” said Indian Arts and Crafts Board Director Meridith Stanton. “By selling imported jewelry from Asia misrepresented as authentic Apache, Laguna, Navajo, and Zuni jewelry through her eBay store, Breivis undercut the livelihoods and traditions of these Tribes and the integrity of their artists’ creative work and defrauded vulnerable customers. We thank the Office of the U.S. Attorney-District of Arizona and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service IACA Investigative Unit for their diligent work on this case.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aron Ketchel, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-26-00846-PHX-ASB
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-132_Breivis

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – On July 21, following a two-year investigation, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 158-count indictment against Fernando Daniel Castro, Cruz Rafael Castro, Marque J’von Rogers, Taquan Antonio M. Carter, Zaccheus Faith Baselt, Juan Manuel Torres Perez, and 15 others for Conspiracy to Unlawfully Purchase Firearms for the Purpose of Dealing in Firearms Without a License, Making False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm, Dealing in Firearms Without a License, and Conspiracy to Traffic Firearms.

The indictment alleges that Fernando Daniel Castro of Phoenix and certain co-conspirators recruited others to purchase firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) in Arizona in exchange for payment. The firearms were purchased on behalf of Castro, who would then sell the firearms for profit. According to the indictment, Castro sold some of the firearms, including Glock 19 pistols and AK-style rifles, knowing or having reason to believe that they would be exported outside of the United States.

The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation that led to this 158-count indictment developed from information gathered in four previously charged federal cases.  

On March 31, 2026, Emmanual Rabena-Velderrain of Mexico, pleaded guilty to Attempted Smuggling of Goods from the United States. Rabena-Velderrain was caught trying to cross the border into Mexico on Feb. 17, 2025, with 42 AK-style rifles and 42 7.62x39 magazines in his vehicle. Rabena-Velderrain is scheduled for sentencing on August 17, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash in Tucson. 

On April 27, 2026, Amairany Guadalupe Armendariz Alvarez, of Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 24 months in prison. Alvarez previously pleaded guilty to Alien in Possession of a Firearm. In her plea, Alvarez admitted to entering the United States with a non-immigrant visa and traveling to Phoenix to pick up three M249 rifles and a Colt pistol. She also admitted that she knew that the firearms were going to be smuggled into Mexico.

On May 13, 2026, Alejandro Rodriguez and Maricruz Carrillo, both of Phoenix, pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. They each admitted to possessing an M249 rifle, a Barrett .50 BMG rifle, an FN SCAR rifle, 12 AK-style rifles, 6 pistols, and 57,000 rounds of ammunition at their Phoenix residence after being convicted of a felony offense. Rodriguez and Carrillo are both scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 19. 2026, before U.S. District Judge Sharad H. Desai.

On June 24, 2026, Jose Daniel Medina, of Mexico, and on July 1, 2026, Juan Jesus Estevez, of Mexico, each pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Smuggle Firearms and Ammunition from the United States. In their pleas, Medina and Estevez admitted to conspiring to obtain firearms and ammunition in Arizona that were then smuggled across the border for buyers in Mexico. Both men are scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 11, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Krissa M. Lanham. A third co-conspirator, Christian Alberto Pereida Ramirez, of Nogales, Arizona, is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on August 12, 2026. As part of this investigation, law enforcement seized 10 pistols and 56,000 rounds of ammunition. 

To date, HSTF partners have executed numerous federal search warrants on social media accounts, telephones, residences, and vehicles as part of this investigation. Law enforcement agents have also seized over 100 firearms and over 125,000 rounds of ammunition in Arizona. 

A conviction for Conspiracy to Traffic Firearms and Prohibited Possessor of Firearms and/or Ammunition carries a maximum penalty of 15 years, a $250,000 fine, or both. A conviction for Smuggling Goods Outside the United States carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, or both. A conviction for Conspiracy, Making False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm, or Dealing in Firearms Without a License all carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. 

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Phoenix comprises agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. 

Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol are handling the investigation, with assistance from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Department of Commerce. The FBI’s Phoenix Division and the Goodyear Police Department assisted in the arrests. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria R. Gutierrez and Benjamin Goldberg, District of Arizona, are handling the prosecutions in Phoenix. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Precup, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution in Tucson.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:           26-CR-00818-PHX-SHD (Castro, et al.); 25-CR-01537-TUC-SHD (Rabena-Velderrain); CR-25-00540-PHX-SHD (Rodriguez, et al.); CR-25-00383-PHX-KML (Estevez, et al.); 25-CR-00684-PHX-SMB (Alvarez)

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-131_Castro, et al.

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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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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Ajay Kumar, 24, of Los Angeles, California, pleaded guilty on July 28, to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8, 2026, before United States District Judge John J. Tuchi. 

According to his plea, Kumar’s co-conspirators contacted victims posing as government employees, falsely claiming that the victims’ accounts had been compromised. The callers told victims they needed to move their funds to a government account to keep the funds safe. In some cases, co-conspirators maintained contact with the victims for weeks, convincing them to withdraw cash or purchase gold, which was then collected by individuals posing as government agents. 

In December 2024, Kumar attempted to pick up approximately $500,000 in gold bullion from a victim in Arizona. As part of his plea, Kumar admitted he traveled to locations throughout the United States to collect cash and gold from victims to deliver it to the co-conspirators in the Phantom Hacker Scheme.

A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

The FBI’s Phoenix Division conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adriana Genco, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

Phantom hacker scams and government impersonation scams are increasingly prevalent and disproportionately affect elderly victims. Fraudsters in these schemes typically pose as government agents and pressure victims to act quickly to transfer their money to the perpetrators. The public is urged to remain vigilant, verify the identity of anyone requesting financial transactions, and report suspicious activity to law enforcement. The government will never call individuals to instruct them to transfer funds to the government. The government will never instruct a person to transfer assets into gold bullion. The government will never instruct a person to deliver funds to a “courier” who comes to the person’s residence. Educating potential victims and their families is a key component in preventing these crimes and minimizing financial harm. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of elder fraud, we encourage you to call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311). The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time. Services are available for speakers of English, Spanish, and other languages. Victims can also report the fraud to the FBI by filing a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (“IC3”) at https://www.ic3.gov/ by clicking the red “File A Complaint” button. Victims should be sure to include all available information about the scam.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-25-00597-PHX-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-130_Kumar 

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Richard Modou Bah, 22, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced last Tuesday by United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 58 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Bah previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud. 

Bah and his co-conspirators engaged in a bank fraud and identity theft scheme that targeted individuals and banks in Arizona, Colorado, and California. The co-conspirators used victims’ personal identifying information and fraudulent identifications to open phony business accounts linked to the victims’ legitimate bank accounts. They then transferred the victims’ funds to the phony business bank accounts and withdrew the money in cash at financial institutions and casinos. 

As part of the scheme, Bah recruited co-conspirators to impersonate victims using stolen identities and provided them with fake identifications to further the scheme. Bah also supervised at least one co-conspirator when they opened fraudulent accounts in victims’ names and withdrew the funds at banks and casinos.

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office conducted the investigation in this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-24-00927-AMM-MSA
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-129_ Bah

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from July 25 through July 31, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 216 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 106 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 98 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed cases against 12 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Sarah Desiree Rios-Martin. On July 29, 2026, Sarah Desiree Rios-Martin was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On July 28, 2026, an Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper saw a blue Volvo SUV abruptly veer across the gore point to an exit. The Trooper initiated a traffic stop and the driver of the Volvo, Rios-Martin, pulled over on the dirt shoulder of the frontage road. After he pulled over, three Hispanic males wearing camouflage clothing got out of the Volvo and ran away while Rios-Martin and the front seat passenger remained in the car. Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) arrived on the scene and searched for the passengers who had fled. Following footprints, agents found one of the passengers hiding in a tree. The BPAs determined that he was a citizen of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-5354]

United States v. Tucto-Rivera. On July 27, 2026, Hector Maruicio Tucto-Rivera was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Tucto-Rivera had been previously removed from the United States on June 20, 2017, after being convicted of felony aggravated assault in the Superior Court of Arizona. Tucto-Rivera was sentenced to 18 months of probation in that case. [Case Number: 26-MJ-5337]

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-128_July 31, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Mohammed Maio, 43, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty earlier this month to Conspiracy to Commit Wire and Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Mohammed Maio also pleaded guilty in a second matter to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Aiding Another in Making a Materially False Statement to Purchase a Firearm. His sentencings in both matters are scheduled for Sept. 28, 2026, before United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi. 

In addition, Mohammed Maio’s parents, Souzan El-Sayed, 66, and Abukar Maio, 70, also of Phoenix, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2026, to Conspiracy to Commit Wire and Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Their sentencings are scheduled for Oct. 5, 2026, also before Judge Liburdi.

Between May 2020 and March 2024, the three family members conspired with each other to fraudulently obtain and misuse multiple Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan relief loans. They submitted false information to secure nearly $2.2 million in loans for multiple businesses that had no employees. The funds were instead used for personal enrichment, including the purchase of multiple properties. 

According to his plea, Mohammed Maio, a convicted felon, also arranged for his mother to purchase a firearm on his behalf in May 2021. Mohammed Maio admitted that he caused his mother to falsely state on the application to purchase the firearm that it was for her use, rather than his, and that he later illegally possessed the firearm she purchased. 

A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Wire and Bank Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. A conviction for Felon in Possession carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A conviction for Making a False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Rapp District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution. 

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-25-00766; CR-26-00488
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-127_Maio

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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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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from July 18 through July 24, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 310 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 114 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 175 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 20 cases against 21 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

U.S. v. Rubicel Nunez-Sanchez. Rubicel Nunez-Sanchez was charged by criminal complaint on July 20, 2026, with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. On July 19, Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) observed a Ford F-150 with North Carolina plates driving near the Mexico border in the San Rafael Valley, an area frequently used for human smuggling. Based on their observations, BPAs initiated a vehicle stop to conduct an immigration inspection, but the driver, Nunez-Sanchez, failed to yield. Nunez-Sanchez eventually pulled over to the side of the road where five subjects got out and ran away. He then continued driving, only stopping after his vehicle was incapacitated by BPAs with a vehicle immobilization device. BPAs located the five subjects that gotten out of Nunez-Sanchez’s vehicle and determined that they were all citizens and nationals of Mexico and Columbia, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-05258]

United States v. Ahumada-Lugo, et al. On July 23, 2026, Jose Raul Ahumada-Lugo and Rony Ramirez-Valenzuela were charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. Ramirez-Valenzuela was also charged with Reentry of a Removed Alien. On July 21, a deputy with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on Ahumada-Lugo, who was driving a Ford F-150 with four passengers. The deputy noticed camouflage clothing and backpacks in the back seat and called Border Patrol for assistance. BPAs confirmed that all five occupants in the truck were citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. BPAs also learned that the front seat passenger, Ramirez-Valenzuela, was previously removed from the United States on August 15, 2017, and was assisting with smuggling the other passengers. [Case Number: 26-MJ-6287]

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-126_July 24, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, Derick Lee Myron, 46, of Tuba City, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to life in prison, plus 40 years.

On April 29, 2024, Myron, an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe, shot and killed an unarmed victim and shot and seriously injured two others on the Navajo Nation. Myron then stole a truck, ran over the victim he had killed, and fled the crime scene. Over the next two days, Myron hid the firearm he used, and evaded arrest by hiding in the Moenkopi Wash. On February 6, 2026, a federal jury found Myron guilty of eleven charges, including Second-Degree Murder, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Robbery, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

“Justice cannot restore a life lost to senseless violence, but it is always worth pursuing. My thoughts are with the victims of this terrible crime and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “I am thankful for the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners, whose tireless work led to the conviction and sentence in this case.”

“A crime like this is heartbreaking for each victim and their families and there is no question that this sentence is just,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day. “The FBI takes its responsibility for investigating the most egregious crimes in Indian Country very seriously and we remain committed to aggressively pursuing justice for victims of these horrific crimes.”

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Flagstaff office and the Navajo Police Department jointly conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Flagstaff Police Department, and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Genevieve A. Ozark (Phoenix) and Dimitra H. Sampson (Flagstaff), District of Arizona, handled the prosecution.  

CASE NUMBER:       CR-24-08050-PCT-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-124_Myron

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jose De Jesus Martinez, 25, of Avondale, was sentenced on July 13, by United States District Judge Sharad H. Desai to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Martinez previously pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.

On May 5, 2025, near Phoenix, Martinez was caught delivering approximately 150,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. Martinez was arrested and agents seized the 13.3 kilograms of drugs. 

Fentanyl is a man-made opioid 50 times more potent than heroin. Just two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially deadly dose. Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, appearing nearly identical to other prescription pills, are often sold through social media or other illegitimate sources.

Legitimate pharmaceutical pills cannot be bought through social media. The only safe medications are ones prescribed directly to you by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. For additional information and resources, including a Caregivers Fact Sheet, visit DEA.gov/onepill.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Phoenix comprises agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. 

The Glendale Police Department also provided significant assistance in this case.

CASE NUMBER:            25-CR-00829-PHX-SHD
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-125_Martinez

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Today, the Department of Justice is monitoring polling sites in three Arizona counties for the state’s primary election to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.

The Department, through the Civil Rights Division, enforces federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all eligible citizens to access the ballot. The Department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities across the country.

“The Department of Justice today continues to monitor elections consistently and in a uniform fashion nationwide, ensuring our elections are safe and secure,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice department’s Civil Rights Division. “Transparent election processes and election monitoring are critical tools for safeguarding our elections and ensuring public trust in the integrity of our elections. We appreciate Arizona’s cooperation in these important procedural safeguards.”

“Our democracy depends on free and fair elections,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona. “My office is pleased to be leading efforts to ensure election integrity for Arizona voters. Today’s monitoring effort is a critical piece of that.”

The Department is currently monitoring polls in Maricopa, Apache, and Pima counties with DOJ staff from the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section and Arizona’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This initiative is aimed at promoting transparency and an open flow of communication between poll observers and election monitors. Election officials in these three counties issued letters to DOJ personnel — giving them credentials to observe vote-casting procedures at various poll sites. Such communication ensures both election security and appropriate access to the franchise for all Americans.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces various federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Civil Rights Acts.

From now and up to Election Day on Nov. 3, 2026, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available to receive questions and complaints from the public related to possible violations of federal voting rights laws. If you would like to request election monitoring in a particular jurisdiction, please contact the Voting Section at VEM@usdoj.gov, and the Civil Rights Division will determine whether monitoring is warranted.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from July 11 through July 17, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 279 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 56 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 206 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed cases against 17 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Braulio Espinoza. On July 11, 2026, Braulio Espinoza was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On July 9, 2026, a Department of Public Safety (DPS) Trooper initiated at traffic stop on a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The driver, Braulio Espinoza, did not have his driver’s license. After speaking with Espinoza, the trooper suspected that he was engaged in alien smuggling. Border Patrol was called to the scene and determined that the two passengers in Espinoza’s vehicle were citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. One of the passengers was an unaccompanied minor. [Case Number: 26-MJ-6256]

United States v. Ionut Calciu. On July 11, 2026, Ionut Calciu was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Calciu had been previously removed from the United States on December 17, 2025 after being convicted of Unlawful use of Unauthorized Access Devices in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Central District of California. In that case, he was sentenced to 9 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release. [Case Number: 26-MJ-6265]

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-123_July 17, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Mario JB Juan, 39 years old, of Sells, Arizona, pleaded guilty on June 26, to one count of Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8, 2026, before United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez.

Juan admitted that in 2015, he knowingly engaged in sexual contact with the victim, who was under the age of 12 at the time. Juan was employed at the Head Start Program in Sells at the time.

A conviction for Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. 

Anyone with information regarding this defendant or who may have also been a victim of this defendant is encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov. 

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Tohono O’odham Nation Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            25-CR-01242-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-121_Juan 

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Andre Anthony Miller, 33, of Parker, Ariz., was sentenced on June 23, by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 336 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Miller previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder. 

On February 18, 2024, on the Colorado River Indian Tribes (“CRIT”) Reservation, Miller shot the victim, who was a former intimate partner, in front of the victim’s minor children. The victim sustained life-threatening injuries from the shooting, including quadriplegia. Approximately eleven months later, the victim died from her injuries. Both Miller and the victim are enrolled CRIT members.

The FBI’s Phoenix Division and the CRIT Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina J. Reid-Moore, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution. 

CASE NUMBER:            24-CR-00743-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-119_Miller

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Carlos Jobany Castaneda Lechuga, 38, of Laredo, Texas, pleaded guilty yesterday to five counts of Producing Child Pornography involving five minor age girls. Sentencing is scheduled for September 15, 2026, before United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa. Lechuga has been detained in federal custody since his arrest in December 2024.

During the change of plea hearing, Lechuga admitted that between 2013 and 2019, he taught mariachi music classes at a school and gave private music lessons at his home in Phoenix, Arizona. The victims were students who came to his home for private music lessons. During this period, when each of the girls was between the ages of 6 – 11 years old, Lechuga recorded videos and images that showed him undressing, touching, and exposing the girls’ nude genitalia to the camera. In December 2024, the FBI located five video recordings on the dark web showing two of the identified girls. 

A conviction for Producing Child Pornography carries a minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years, and a possible $250,000 fine. 

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC coordinates federal, state, and local resources to investigate, prosecute, and rescue victims. For more investigation, visit www.justice.gov/psc. 

The FBI’s Phoenix Division and Phoenix Police Department conducted the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            25-CR-00025-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-120_Lechuga

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from June 27 through July 2, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 325 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 101 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 196 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 20 cases against 26 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged two defendants for assaulting Border Patrol agents.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Davis Cabanillas-Flores. On June 29, 2026, Davis Cabanillas-Flores, was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Cabanillas-Flores had been previously removed from the United States in 2021. In June 2019, he was convicted of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Kilograms or More of Cocaine while on Board a Vessel Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States, in the Middle District of Florida. In that case, Cabanillas-Flores was sentenced to 46 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. [26-MJ-08245]

United States v. Humberto Roman-Tapia. On June 30, 2026, Humberto Roman-Tapia was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On June 28, 2026, Border Patrol agents initiated a traffic stop on a Honda Accord traveling westbound on I-40. Agents determined that the driver, Humberto Roman-Tapia, was a citizen of Mexico with an employment authorization card. The three passengers in the car were citizens of Mexico with no legal documentation to be present in the United States. [26-MJ-01551]

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-117_July 3, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Joe Martin Cruz, Jr., 20, of San Pedro, CA, was sentenced on June 23, by United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 60 months in prison. Cruz previously pleaded guilty to two counts of Assault on a Federal Officer and one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. 

On January 14, 2025, Cruz transported four illegal aliens near Arivaca, AZ. When Border Patrol began following Cruz, he stopped his vehicle and the aliens bailed out. Cruz then sped off at a high rate of speed. During his flight from law enforcement, Cruz intentionally crashed his vehicle into a Border Patrol vehicle occupied by two agents who were traveling in the opposing lane of travel. 

Vehicle crash data and scene evidence showed that at the time of the collision, Cruz had the accelerator pedal pushed to 100%. Immediately before the collision, he turned his wheel to the left, crossing the lane divider and colliding with the victim agents’ vehicle. Despite the agents’ efforts to avoid the collision, their vehicle was violently struck by Cruz. The force caused the rear axle to be sheared off and spun the agents’ vehicle off the road and into the brush. The agents sustained several injuries during the collision. Cruz then fled on foot through the desert but was eventually caught by law enforcement. 

Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol and Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Amlee, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. 

CASE NUMBER:            25-CR-00980-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-118_Cruz

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, pleaded guilty today to two counts of Harassment Using a Telecommunication Device. Sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2026, before United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker. 

In his plea, Callella admitted that he called and sent text messages to a missing person’s family on Feb. 4, 2026, which asked about a bitcoin transfer. Callella acknowledged that he knew an earlier ransom demand had been made. Callella also admitted that his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into the missing person’s disappearance. 

A conviction for Harassment Using a Telecommunication Device carries a maximum penalty of  two years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both, and one year of supervised release.

The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office is conducting the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution. 

CASE NUMBER:            26-CR-00940-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-116_Callella

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.