District of Arizona
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Pennsylvania Cocaine Possessor Ordered to Pay $50,000 in Financial Penalties for his Role in Distributing CocaineRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Marquan Sherrod Wilson, 53, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on October 27, 2023, by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 60 months of probation, and was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, and an additional $25,000 of community restitution. Wilson pleaded guilty on March 29, 2023, to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
On November 2, 2020, Wilson traveled to Arizona from out of state and purchased approximately 978 grams of cocaine from individuals in Tucson. Wilson planned to deliver the cocaine to others, but was pulled over by Arizona Department of Public Safety officers on Interstate 10, as he was attempting to leave Arizona. Officers seized the cocaine and placed Wilson under arrest.
Community restitution is based on the amount of public harm caused by the offense, as determined by the sentencing judge. By law, 65 percent of the total amount of restitution is paid to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission’s Crime Victim Services designated to administer crime victim assistance in the state in which the crime occurred. The remaining 35 percent is paid to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System designated to receive federal substance abuse block grant funds. The goal of community restitution is to help financially support the communities affected by the criminal behavior through the designated state agencies.
Wilson agreed with prosecutors to make community restitution and a fine part of his guilty plea to demonstrate that he accepted full responsibility for his actions.
The Drug Enforcement Administration - Sierra Vista, conducted the investigation in this case. The Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Willcox Police Department assisted with Wilson’s arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Lizano, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 21-CR-02281-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-174_Wilson# # #
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 newsTucson Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Importing FentanylRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Gerardo Hernandez, 40, of Tucson, was sentenced on November 2, 2023, by United States District Judge Jennifer Zipps to 120 months in prison, followed by 36 months supervised release. Hernandez pleaded guilty on May 5, 2023, to Importation of Fentanyl.
On December 4, 2022, Hernandez, a United States citizen, entered the United States at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, from Mexico. He was a passenger in the front seat of a vehicle that contained 49.9 kilograms of fentanyl concealed inside the vehicle. Hernandez was aware that the vehicle contained controlled substances and agreed to import them into the United States. The driver of the vehicle was unaware that they were importing controlled substances. Hernandez has 11 prior felony convictions and six prior misdemeanor convictions since 2002.
The fentanyl Hernandez imported was in 30 milligram tablets. Forty-nine kilograms is approximately 1,600,000 tablets or single use doses of fentanyl.
The Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Cavanaugh, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 22-2775-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-172_Hernandez# # #
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.Tempe Man Arrested for Antisemitic Email Threat to Execute Local Rabbi and "every other JEW I can find"Read the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jeffrey Mindock, 50, of Tempe, was arrested Saturday morning on a federal complaint and arrest warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for making a threat to execute a local Rabbi and “every other JEW [sic] I can find tonight at midnight of your Sabbath.”
The complaint alleges that Mindock sent an email on the morning of Friday November 3, 2023, to a Rabbi at a local synagogue in Scottsdale, asking the Rabbi to “try to convince” a judge in Utah to “drop the charges against” Mindock in a state district court case in Utah. The email stated: “If you do not use your influence to right this wrong I will execute you and every other JEW [sic] I can find tonight at midnight of your Sabbath.” The email went on: “If you wish to communicate with me further, I will only meet in person,” listed an address for the sender in Tempe, and was signed “Shalom, Viktor Sitkevicz.”
The complaint alleges that Mindock’s address was listed in motor vehicle records as the same Tempe address listed in the email. The complaint further alleges that Mindock’s threatening behavior extended to another prior email threat to “hang” a judge sent from email addresses containing “sitkevicz” or “mindock,” and another threat made during a previous court appearance in 2021 to “execute” others.
“Civic engagement and civil dialogue help bind us together as a Nation,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “We have no tolerance for those who send threatening communications to Jewish faith leaders or to any other people in America. We will continue to exercise our prosecutorial discretion and deploy our resources to charge threats cases here in Arizona.”
“The FBI takes all threats of violence seriously,” said Chad Alvarado, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix field office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners must take people who make threats at their word and intervene, because protecting human life is our absolute priority.”
A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The United States will have up to 30 days from arrest to seek an indictment of Mindock.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Tempe Police Department and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-05579MJ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-171_Mindock# # #
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.Yuma Man Sentenced to 52 Months in Prison for ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Omar Molina-Galeana, 22, of Yuma, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge David G. Campbell to 52 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Molina-Galeana pleaded guilty on June 13, 2023, to Conspiracy.
Between November 3, 2021, and April 14, 2022, Molina-Galeana obtained 48 firearms using nine “straw purchasers.” Each straw purchaser made false statements and representations regarding the actual purchaser of the firearm(s) to gun stores in Arizona.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-00318-PHX-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-168_Molina-Galeana# # #
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.U.S. Attorney's Office for District of Arizona to Collaborate with Colorado River Indian Tribes on Domestic Violence CasesRead the Press Release
Colorado River Indian Tribes Awarded Grant to Prosecute Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Cases
PHOENIX, Ariz. ⸺ The Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women awarded the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) $830,000 to prosecute domestic violence and sexual assault occurring on tribal lands. Among other things, this grant will fund a Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA).
The OVW grant will enhance the capacity of CRIT to hold domestic violence offenders accountable by partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona to increase law enforcement coordination, and strengthen the relationship between federal prosecutors and CRIT. Most importantly, the OVW grant will allow a CRIT SAUSA to prosecute these cases alongside Assistant U.S. Attorneys in federal court, while simultaneously staying connected to the tribe and identifying cases to remain in tribal court.
“The prosecution of these crimes is a priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino. “I am very pleased that attorneys from my office will be able to work with a CRIT SAUSA, who will bring personal cultural sensitivity to this very difficult work.”
“The Colorado River Indian Tribes is pleased and honored to have been selected to receive the Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney grant,” said Amelia Flores, Chairwoman of the Colorado River Indian Tribal Council. “Domestic violence and sexual assault continue to harm our members, families, and children. The grant funding will allow us to improve communication and coordination among the various jurisdictions, apply best practices, improve outcomes of prosecution and community safety and ensure victims receive the services and support they need.”
OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through implementing Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities nationwide that are developing programs, policies, and practices to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
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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.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-169_CRIT OVW GrantTwo Men Charged After Smuggling 22 Undocumented Noncitizens in a Water TruckRead the Press Release
YUMA, Ariz. – Antonio Varela-Verdugo, a U.S. citizen, and Gilberto Villalva, a citizen of Mexico, were charged by complaint on October 25, 2023, with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens.
The complaint alleges that Varela-Verdugo and Villalva conspired to smuggle 22 undocumented noncitizens in the tank of a water truck. On October 23, 2023, Yuma Station Border Patrol agents followed a water truck suspected of transporting undocumented noncitizens in its tank from California into Yuma, Arizona, where the water truck stopped at a local residence. Across the street, a Honda Civic, operated by Villalva, was suspected of waiting to guide the water truck to a local stash-house. Agents interdicted both vehicles after departing the stash-house and discovered 22 individuals, all citizens of Mexico, stuffed into the tank of the water truck.
A conviction for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, and a term of up to three years supervised release.
A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Customs and Border Protection's U.S. Border Patrol - Yuma, conducted the interdiction and subsequent investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix Division, Yuma Office, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-02657MJ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-170_Varela-Verdugo, et. al.# # #
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.Phoenix Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Selling Machine Gun to Undercover AgentRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Carlos Negrete Farias, 27, of Phoenix, was sentenced on October 2, 2023, by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 37 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release. Farias pleaded guilty on February 8, 2023, to Possession of a Machine Gun.
On January 31, 2022, Farias agreed to provide an Undercover Agent (UC) a “fun AR” and $3,000.00 in exchange for a .50 caliber rifle. Subsequently, Farias sent the UC a video of an unknown individual shooting a fully automatic AR-15 style rifle.
Farias was arrested on February 8, 2022, during an exchange with the UC. At the time of his arrest, Farias was found with a machine gun conversion device in his pocket, knowing that it was a part designed and intended for use in converting a semi-automatic weapon into a machinegun.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-00149-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-167_Farias# # #
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 Man Arrested for Making Multiple Violent Threats Including a Threat to Place Pipe Bombs on School Buses in IndianaRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Amir Safavi Farokhi, 28, of Tucson, was arrested last week on a federal complaint and arrest warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force for using his telephone in Tucson to make a threat to place pipe bombs on school buses in the Castleton area of Indianapolis, Indiana. Farokhi was also charged with making an interstate threat to rape and murder a female employee of the Bloomington, Indiana Police Department.
The complaint alleges that Farokhi used his telephone in Arizona to call the Indianapolis Police Department, and told police officers they should send officers to a specific location in the Castleton area of Indianapolis because Farokhi planned to place pipe bombs on school buses and shoot any responding police officers. Farokhi also used his telephone in Arizona to transmit a threat to rape and murder an employee of the Bloomington, Indiana Police Department, telling the victim he would wait outside for her at the end of her shift.
The complaint further alleges that Farokhi’s course of threatening behavior extended to two Tucson-area hospitals as well. On October 21, Farokhi is alleged to have called Tucson ER Hospital and threatened to shoot hospital staff and patients. On October 22 and 23, he is alleged to have made similar threats to Northwest Hospital in Tucson.
A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The United States will have up to 30 days from arrest to seek an indictment of Farokhi.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, as part of the FBI’s Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-07725MJ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-166_Farohki# # #
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.U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona Celebrates Funding Awarded During Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice joins survivors, victim service providers, advocates, and communities nationwide in recognizing October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). This is a time to center the experiences of survivors; honor those who lost their lives to domestic violence; express gratitude to the countless individuals in the movement to end violence; and raise awareness on the issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. As part of its monthlong observance of DVAM, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is proud to announce that the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded $1,990,618 to the District of Arizona to bolster coordinated community responses aimed at bringing an end to domestic violence, as well as sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
Data from the most recent National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey indicate about 41% of women and 26% of men experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner and reported an intimate partner violence-related impact during their lifetime. Domestic violence rates are even higher for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, Black individuals, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals.
The announced grants will reach Tribal nations, historically marginalized communities, underserved communities, college and university campuses, rural towns, culturally specific communities, and more. The funding prioritizes increasing access to justice, improving survivor safety, holding perpetrators accountable, and offering training and technical support to professionals addressing these crimes.
Specifically, the District of Arizona received the following funds for the 2023 fiscal year:
- OVW awarded $340,618 under State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program to enhance the coordination between courts, child protective services agencies, advocates, law enforcement, and community programs to encourage trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses to domestic violence and sexual assault.
- OVW awarded $400,000 under the Grants to Enhance Culturally Specific Services for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Program (Culturally Specific Program) to help community-based organizations develop culturally relevant programs specific to American Indian and Alaska Native populations, Black, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Tribal communities to support survivors.
- OVW awarded $350,000 under the Grants to Engage Men and Boys as Allies in the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Program (Engaging Men and Boys Program) to support educational programming and community-based organizations that encourage men and boys to work with allies with women and girls to prevent crimes.
- OVW awarded $900,000 under the Training and Technical Assistance Initiative to support training and technical assistance programs to enhance the efforts of grant recipients to implement projects supported by OVW funds successfully.
“Every day, a vast network of dedicated individuals helps domestic violence survivors access multiple pathways to safety, justice, and healing,” said OVW Director Rosie Hidalgo. “OVW understands that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing domestic violence. These funds will enable communities to increase capacity and strengthen a coordinated community approach to prevent and address violence in more comprehensive ways tailored to their communities. Together, with our grantees, we are building a future where individuals and families can live and thrive without the threat of intimate partner violence.”
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OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through implementing the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities nationwide that are developing programs, policies, and practices to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
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.RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-164_OVW Grant Awards
Phoenix Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Voluntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Joel James Justin, 32, of Phoenix, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
On October 3, 2021, Justin, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, stabbed the victim, killing him. The defendant pleaded guilty on February 7, 2023, to Voluntary Manslaughter.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gila River Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Raynette Logan and Vinnie Lichvar, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-00074-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-161_Justin# # #
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.Hacker Sentenced to 30 Months for SIM Swapping Conspiracy Resulting in Theft of Nearly $1 Million in CryptocurrencyRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jordan Dave Persad, 20, of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Persad was also ordered to pay $945,833 in restitution. Persad pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Computer Fraud.
Between March 2021 and September 2022, Persad and his co-conspirators hacked into victims’ email accounts, hijacked their cell phone numbers, and gained unauthorized access to their online cryptocurrency accounts. As a result of this scheme, often referred to as “SIM swapping,” Persad and his co-conspirators stole close to $1 million worth of cryptocurrency from dozens of victims, including approximately $30,000 from a victim in Arizona. Defendant and his co-conspirators then divided these stolen funds amongst themselves, with Persad keeping around $475,000. Investigators were able to recover some of these funds when they executed search warrants at Persad’s Orlando home.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Chang and Bridget Minder of the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-00680-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-163_Persad# # #
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.Ganado Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Murder of GrandmotherRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jedidiah Michael Noble, 35, of Ganado, Arizona, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 20 years in prison. Noble pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder.
On January 13, 2021, Noble stabbed his grandmother approximately 50 times, killing her.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer E. LaGrange and Sharon K. Sexton, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-08012-PCT-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-162_Noble# # #
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.Convicted Felon Arrested for Shooting of a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Jerardo Jay Rosales, 39, of Tucson, was arrested Wednesday and charged in a two-count complaint with Assault on Federal Officer Using a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon and Prohibited Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
The complaint alleges that, on October 17, 2023, Rosales, a convicted felon, shot a federal officer in the left arm with a pistol, then fled in a vehicle. The officer suffered a non-life-threatening injury.
A conviction for Assault on Federal Officer Using a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, and a maximum term of three years supervised release. A conviction for Prohibited Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon carries a maximum of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, and a maximum term of three years supervised release.
A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Cassell, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-02095MJ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-165_Rosales# # #
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 Man Arrested for Mass Shooting Threat at University of ArizonaRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Michael Lee, 27, of Tucson, was arrested yesterday on a federal complaint warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force for transmitting threats through interstate communications for threatening to commit a mass shooting at the University of Arizona.
The complaint alleges that Lee transmitted threats to commit a mass shooting at the university in a group chat on Snapchat. Lee is not a student at the university but expressed a desire to get revenge on “all the chads and stacies!!” “Chads” and “stacies” are commonly used terms by self-described involuntary celibates (incels). Lee made further reference to incel ideology, and finished the conversation by stating “im gonna do it guys, my mind is made up and there’s nothing u can do or say to stop me.”
The United States will have 30 days from arrest to indict Lee. A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the University of Arizona Police Department, as part of the FBI’s Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Rossi, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-02094MJ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-160_Lee# # #
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.United States Attorney's Office Releases 2023 Third Quarter Immigration Enforcement StatisticsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office announced its immigration enforcement statistics for July 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the Tucson and Yuma Sectors of the Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the three-month period ending September 30, 2023, the United States brought criminal charges in Arizona against 1,219 individuals who illegally entered or re-entered the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 254 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling undocumented noncitizens to and within the District of Arizona. In this time period, the United States also prosecuted 82 reactive drug cases arising out of immigration ports of entry and checkpoints.
Reducing migrant smuggling and mitigating the risk to communities impacted by these offenses continues to be a priority for the Office and its law enforcement partners. Some of these prosecutions are directed against leaders and coordinators of alien smuggling organizations. Other prosecutions are aimed at deterring young adult drivers, often recruited over social media platforms, from engaging in this dangerous activity. Prosecutions against young drivers include four cases brought against juvenile smugglers during this time period.
These statistics represent United States Attorney’s Office prosecutions only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-157_2023 Third Quarter Immigration Enforcement Statistics
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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 Woman Sentenced to 10 Years for Fatal Crash While Transporting Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Sunshine Michelle Betters, 47, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 120 months in prison for Transportation of Illegal Aliens Resulting in Death. Betters also was sentenced to an additional 11 months imprisonment for violating her federal supervised release for a prior conviction for Transportation of Illegal Aliens.
On June 3, 2021, the Tohono O’odham Police Department (TOPD) responded to a two-vehicle collision on State Route 86 on the Tohono O’odham reservation. TOPD officers and detectives determined Betters was driving a vehicle which sideswiped an oncoming truck, which caused the vehicle to leave the roadway and strike a tree. There were two occupants in Betters’ vehicle, both undocumented noncitizens illegally present in the United States. One of those undocumented noncitizens, a citizen of Guatemala, died at the scene. Given the death of a foreign national, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Border Patrol responded.
Through further investigation, HSI agents determined Betters was transporting the two undocumented noncitizens for financial gain. They also discovered that prior to the collision Betters, who was severely intoxicated, falsely believed she was being followed by Border Patrol and thus increased her speed. The combination of intoxication and speed were contributing factors to the collision and death.Betters, who was on federal supervision for a previous conviction for Transportation of Illegal Aliens, pleaded guilty on October 17, 2022. She also admitted that her conduct violated the conditions of her supervised release.
Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protections U.S. Border Patrol, and the Tohono O’odham Tribal Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 21-01526-TUC-JGZ
CR 18-02003-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-158_Betters# # #
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.Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Violent Crime SpreeRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Elan David Nash, 36, of Polacca, was sentenced on September 25, 2023, by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 25 years in prison. Nash previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder, Kidnapping, and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury of an Intimate Partner.
During a violent crime spree in November of 2019, Nash shot and killed a woman on the Hopi Indian Reservation. Soon after that incident, Nash picked up another woman from the side of the road and forced her into his vehicle. He drove her to a remote area of the Hopi Indian Reservation, where he robbed her. After a pursuit by tribal law enforcement, Nash abandoned the vehicle he was driving, leaving behind evidence related to the murder. The investigation into these crimes also revealed that on December 3, 2019, on the Navajo Nation, Nash assaulted his then girlfriend, leaving her with substantial injuries. Nash pleaded guilty to all three charges in a single plea agreement combining three separate cases.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from Hopi Law Enforcement Services and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBERS: CR-22-8088-PCT-SPL
CR-22-8089-PCT-SPL
CR-23-8063-PCT-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-159_Nash# # #
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.Child Pornography Distributor Sentenced to 24 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Jeremy Carson Lamb, 39, of Mesa, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 288 months in prison, for attempted production of sex abuse material. Lamb pleaded guilty on June 13, 2023, to one count of Attempted Production of Child Pornography.
In late 2019, Lamb traveled from Phoenix to Sierra Vista to meet and engage in sexual conduct with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old minor and had attempted to obtain sexually explicit images of the minor. Lamb was found with a large quantity of videos and images depicting children as young as one-year-old being sexually abused. The investigation confirmed that Lamb had distributed many child exploitation files to others. When Lamb is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life and will be required to register as a sex offender.
“This defendant has no respect for laws and boundaries,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “When an undercover law enforcement officer posted an online profile pretending to be a young girl, the defendant engaged in a two-week effort to entice, induce, and lure. We appreciate the investigative efforts by Homeland Security Investigations to protect the community from defendant.”
“Predatory behavior will not be tolerated by HSI,” said Scott Brown, Special Agent in Charge for HSI Arizona. “The defendant in this case will spend the next 24 years in prison giving him ample opportunity to think about his actions. Let this case demonstrate HSI’s unwavering commitment to protect children and apprehend predators to then face justice.”
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 (HSI), Douglas, Arizona, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carin C. Duryee, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 19-3408-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-156_Lamb# # #
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.Truck Driver Charged in Attempt to Smuggle Half-a-Ton of Cocaine into the United StatesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Oswaldo Lopez-Escobar, of Mexico, was charged by complaint on October 5, 2023, for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
The complaint alleges that, on October 4, 2023, Lopez-Escobar, driving a semi-truck, applied for admission into the United States from Mexico at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales. During a customs inspection of the vehicle, Customs and Border Protection Officers found 155 packages of cocaine concealed in the floor of the trailer. The total weight of the packages was approximately 587 kilograms, or about 1294.2 pounds. The cocaine has an estimated value of between $10.7 and $12.5 million.
A conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison with a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of $10,000,000.00, or both; and a term of between five years and lifetime supervised release.
A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the interdiction and subsequent investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-00747MJ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-154_Lopez-Escobar# # #
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.23-Year-Old Human Smuggler Sentenced to 37 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. –Delmetrice Tavion Marquin Taylor, 23, of Mesa, was sentenced on October 3, 2023, by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On July 12, 2023, Taylor pleaded guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit while Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person. Taylor was also sentenced to four months of consecutive imprisonment for violating pretrial release conditions of an unrelated federal case in the District of Colorado.
On June 6, 2023, Taylor was encountered by United States Border Patrol (USBP) agents while transporting three individuals who were illegally in the United States. Taylor failed to yield to agents, struck an agent’s vehicle, and traveled at high speeds through a USBP checkpoint. Agents attempted to bring an end to his dangerous driving behavior with an immobilization device, but Taylor continued to drive at high speeds despite one tire beginning to deflate. When apprehended, Taylor was in possession of a short-barrel rifle loaded with one hundred rounds in a magazine drum. At the time of his arrest, Taylor was on federal pretrial release for the offense of Aiding and Abetting Making a False Statement in Connection with the Acquisition of a Firearm from a Licensed Dealer, committed in the District of Colorado.
Agents from the United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 23-CR-00910-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023- 155_Taylor# # #
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.U.S. Attorney's Office Hosts Third Community Event as Part of DOJ's United Against Hate InitiativeRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona held its third United Against Hate event yesterday at Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, Arizona. The event provided an opportunity for an informative and robust discussion with leaders from Arizona’s Hispanic community. Over 130 invited guests, including community members, local leaders, and law enforcement, were in attendance. The event focused on establishing a dialogue between the community and law enforcement and on increasing community understanding and reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents.
“Hate crimes are among the most serious of federal offenses, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to pursuing charges against those who victimize our fellow citizens based on who they are, how they worship, or who they love,” said Gary Restaino, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. “We likewise remain committed to organizing community events like these United Against Hate meetings, which are essential to encourage reporting of hate crimes and to improve trust between law enforcement officials and the communities we serve.”
Yesterday’s event featured a panel discussion among community leaders and the U.S. Attorney. The discussion allowed attendees to hear directly from members of the local Hispanic community, who shared their thoughts, concerns, and experiences with hate crimes and hate incidents.
This third United Against Hate event follows similar meetings between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and leaders of Arizona’s African American and LGBT+ communities. The District of Arizona will hold additional United Against Hate events in the coming months to engage with communities across the state. These events will further encourage collaboration, support hate crimes prevention efforts, and encourage more Arizonans to report hate crimes and hate incidents.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-153_United Against Hate Event
# # #
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.Sells Man Sentenced to 107 Months for Assault and Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Alan Flores, 53, of Sells, Arizona, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 107 months in prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Flores pleaded guilty to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury to a Child Under the Age of 16 Years and Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
On September 17, 2021, Flores, an enrolled member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, assaulted a 12-year-old juvenile by stabbing the juvenile in the face with a knife. Flores, who is a convicted sex offender, also failed to abide by his registration requirements and was not living at the address listed on his sex offender registration documents. These offenses occurred on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Tohono O’odham Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frances M. Kreamer Hope, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 22-1321-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-151_Flores# # #
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.Mother Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Providing a Firearm to Essa Williams, Alleged Shooter of Phoenix Police Officer Tyler MoldovanRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Erika LaRae Williams, 52, of Tempe, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Williams pleaded guilty on May 22, 2023, to Making a Material False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm.
On September 3, 2020, Ms. Williams purchased a Taurus G3 pistol from AZESB, LLC. (dba Mo Money Pawn), a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL), in Phoenix. Ms. Williams purchased this firearm for her son, Essa Williams, only five months after his release from the Arizona Department of Corrections for several violent felony convictions. During the purchase of the firearm, Williams completed the Firearms Transactions Record, known as ATF Form 4473. Ms. Williams swore that she was the actual purchaser of the firearm while knowing she was purchasing the firearm on behalf of Essa Williams.
Pursuant to a federal search warrant, the ATF seized and searched Ms. Williams’ cellular telephone, which revealed a lengthy text exchange with Essa Williams during the purchase of the Taurus G3 pistol. Essa Williams asked his mother via text message which firearm was purchased, what other options were available, and whether his mother’s background check went through. Ms. Williams provided Essa Williams details about who assisted in the purchase, and confirmed the purchase was complete.
Essa Williams is pending trial in Maricopa County Superior Court for shooting Phoenix Police Officer Tyler Moldovan on December 14, 2021. The Taurus G3 pistol was not the firearm that was used to shoot Officer Moldovan. On March 10, 2022, pursuant to a search warrant, ATF seized the Taurus G3 pistol from Erika Williams’ residence.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-00277-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-150_Williams# # #
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.Hate Crime Charges Added in Burning of Douglas Churches CaseRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – A federal grand jury in Tucson returned a six-count superseding indictment yesterday against Eric Ridenour, 58, of Douglas, for Arson of Property Used in Interstate Commerce, Obstruction of Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs by Fire, and Using Fire to Commit Federal Felony.
The superseding indictment alleges that Ridenour burned down two historic churches in Douglas: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church. Both churches are located on Church Square, in a historic district in the border town of Douglas, approximately two hours southeast of Tucson. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the only block in the nation containing churches from four different denominations: Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Methodist. According to the superseding indictment, further investigation and evidence elicited in court testimony alleges that Ridenour intentionally started the fires in both churches because of his hostility toward their progressive doctrines, particularly their practice of having women and members of the LGBTQ community serve as church leaders. Ridenour was arrested on May 23, 2023, and charged by complaint with maliciously damaging or destroying both buildings by means of fire, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i). On June 22, 2023, he was initially indicted on two counts of the same.
A conviction for Arson of Property Used in Interstate Commerce carries a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment and maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A conviction for Obstruction of Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs by Fire carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A conviction for Using Fire to Commit Federal Felony carries a penalty of 10 years in prison. A second conviction for Using Fire to Commit Federal Felony carries a penalty of 20 years in prison. Any conviction and subsequent mandatory term of imprisonment under Using Fire to Commit Federal Felony shall run consecutively to any other conviction.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Douglas Police Department are handling the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Rossi, District of Arizona, Tucson, and Ben Goldberg, District of Arizona, Phoenix, are handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 23-00908-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-152_Ridenour# # #
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.Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Appoints Seven U.S. Attorneys to Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the appointment of the following seven U.S. Attorneys to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC): Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico, Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, Kenneth Parker for the Southern District of Ohio, Natalie K. Wight for the District of Oregon, Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas, and Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia.
“United States Attorneys work every day throughout the country to advance our mission of upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting civil rights,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful for the perspective the newest members of the Committee will provide on behalf of federal prosecutors across the country and the communities they serve.”
In addition, the Attorney General has selected Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona to serve as the committee’s vice chair, replacing Cindy Chung, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania who is now a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Attorney General also thanked the following U.S. Attorneys who have completed their terms and are rotating off the committee: Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado, Brandon Brown for the Western District of Louisiana, Dawn Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan, Trini Ross for the Western District of New York, and Sandra Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina.
The AGAC was created in 1973 and advises the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys and elevates the voices of U.S. Attorneys in Justice Department policies.
The bios of all U.S. Attorneys are available here.
Three Human Smugglers Indicted for ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Saul Parra, Patrick Orozco, and Rafael Gamez-Ramirez, all from Tucson, were indicted on August 23, 2023, for Conspiring to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit.
The indictment alleges that, beginning around November 2021, Gamez-Ramirez coordinated with Orozco to purchase a parcel of land located in Bisbee, Arizona, to be used to facilitate the transport of undocumented noncitizens into the United States. Orozco bought and placed a recreational vehicle onto the property where undocumented noncitizens waited to be transported. Law enforcement officers pursued and stopped several vehicles leaving the parcel between November 2021 and January 2022. One of the smuggling events resulted in the death of an undocumented noncitizen after a driver lost control of the vehicle on I-10 near Exit 297. Parra participated in the human smuggling conspiracy by loaning his vehicles to drivers in exchange for payment.
A conviction for Conspiring to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Homeland Security Investigations-Douglas conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 23-01261-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-149_Parra (WITHDRAWING AND CORRECTING
RELEASE # 2023-148_Parra)# # #
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.Three Human Smugglers Indicted for ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Saul Parra, Patrick Orozco, and Rafael Gamez-Ramirez, all from Tucson, were indicted on August 23, 2023, for Conspiring to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit.
The indictment alleges that, beginning around November 2021, Gamez-Ramirez coordinated with Orozco to purchase a parcel of land located in Bisbee, Arizona, to be used to facilitate the transport of undocumented noncitizens into the United States. Orozco bought and placed a recreational vehicle onto the property where undocumented noncitizens waited to be transported. Law enforcement officers pursued and stopped several vehicles leaving the parcel between November 2021 and January 2022; one such pursuit resulted in the death of an undocumented noncitizen after a driver lost control of the vehicle on I-10 near Exit 297. Parra participated in the human smuggling conspiracy by loaning his vehicles to drivers in exchange for payment.
A conviction for Conspiring to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Homeland Security Investigations-Douglas conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 23-01261-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-148_Parra# # #
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.Second Phoenix Poly-Drug Distributors Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Hector Manuel Cruz, Jr., 29, of Chandler, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. On April 25, 2023, Cruz pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Co-defendant Konstantin Shurayeu, 32, of Phoenix, was sentenced this summer by Judge Snow to seven years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. On March 14, 2023, Shurayeu also pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
On July 14, 2022, Cruz and Shurayeu met at an apartment complex in Phoenix to complete a drug transaction. Law enforcement ultimately found 4.93 kilograms of fentanyl, 3.38 kilograms of methamphetamine (actual), 8.49 grams of methamphetamine, 1.20 kilograms of cocaine, 0.77 kilograms of fentanyl analogue, 1.12 kilograms of heroin, 0.35 grams of oxycodone, 0.84 kilograms of marijuana and 12,330 units of Xanax (a Schedule IV substance) between Cruz’s vehicle, Shurayeu’s vehicle, and Cruz’s apartment. Law enforcement also located 16 handguns, two shotguns, one rifle, a ballistic vest and $118,195.00 in United States currency in Cruz’s apartment.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 22-00901-PHX-GMS
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-147_Cruz# # #
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.Meth Smuggler Sentenced to Nearly Six YearsRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – David Lee McCracken, II, 45, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 70 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. McCracken pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
On August 22, 2022, United States Border Patrol agents encountered McCracken at the SR-286 checkpoint driving a sedan. McCracken consented to a search of his vehicle’s trunk, during which an agent observed a large spare tire and rim for an off-road vehicle inside the trunk. When the agent directed McCracken to secondary inspection, McCracken abruptly fled at a high rate of speed. After an extensive search, agents located McCracken, the vehicle, and tire. The tire contained 55 packages of methamphetamine, totaling approximately 25 kilograms.
Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefani Hepford, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 22-02028-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-146_McCracken# # #
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.Tax Cheat Sentenced to Prison for Failing to Pay Employee TaxesRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – James Philip Piccolo, 65, of Scottsdale, Arizona was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $651,478 in restitution to the IRS and a $10,000 fine. Piccolo pleaded guilty in January 2023 to one count of failing to pay the IRS federal income taxes withheld from employees.
Piccolo co-founded Tecademics, LLC in 2016 and founded IQUP, Inc. in 2017. Both Tecademics and IQUP instructed clients in how to manage online businesses and conduct marketing efforts on the internet. In his plea agreement, Piccolo admitted that he was responsible for submitting any tax payments to the IRS for both companies. Between 2017 and 2018, Piccolo received business tax returns prepared by Tecademics’s and IQUP’s bookkeeper. Those returns reported employees’ wages for each quarter, as well as the portion of the wages withheld by the employer for state and federal taxes. Piccolo admitted that he knew that he was required to pay those taxes to the IRS. For the tax periods between January 2017 and April 2018, however, Piccolo did not pay the taxes owed by Tecademics and IQUP. In total, Piccolo failed to pay $651,478 in taxes to the IRS.
“The conviction and sentencing of the defendant are the results of an effort by the Internal Revenue Service to vindicate the rights of honest business owners by holding scofflaws to account,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino. “Instead of following the law, Piccolo breached his employees’ trust by failing to pay the taxes withheld on their behalf.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aron Ketchel, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-0037-JAT
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-145_Piccolo# # #
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 Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Yvette Naomi Garcia, 36, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Garcia pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder.
On December 26, 2021, Garcia, an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, murdered a Pascua Yaqui woman by intentionally running her over multiple times with a vehicle. The offense occurred on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation in Tucson, Arizona.
The FBI and the Pascua Yaqui Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances M. Kreamer Hope and Scott A. Turk, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 22-0525-TUC-SHR (BGM)
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-144_Garcia# # #
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.Santan Man Sentenced to over 17 Years for Shooting DeathRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Fernando Ray White, 42, of Santan, Arizona, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 210 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. On December 9, 2019, White shot the victim multiple times, killing her. The defendant pleaded guilty on July 14, 2023, to Second Degree Murder.
The Gila River Police Department and the FBI conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raynette Logan and Vinnie Lichvar, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-00766-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-143_White# # #
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 Felon Sentenced to over 11 Years for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On September 5, Sean Lee Arnold, 51, of Tucson, was sentenced by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 135 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Arnold previously pleaded guilty to Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
On August 31, 2021, law enforcement agents served a search warrant on Arnold’s home in central Tucson where they found approximately 1.35 kilograms of pure methamphetamine and a rifle. Arnold admitted to agents that he bought and sold multiple pounds of methamphetamine a month and that he knew he was prohibited from possessing weapons.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Ashley Culver and David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 21-2521-TUC-JAS
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-140_Arnold# # #
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.Pinon Man Found Guilty of Murder of Missing Navajo WomanRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Yesterday, a jury found Tre C. James, 31, of Pinon, Arizona, guilty of the First Degree Murder of Jamie Yazzie. The jury also found James guilty of several acts of domestic violence committed against three former intimate and dating partners. The guilty verdict followed a seven-day jury trial before the Honorable Douglas L. Rayes. Sentencing is set for January 29, 2024. James faces a mandatory life sentence for his crimes.
James was charged with nine federal crimes. Counts 1 and 2 alleged that James shot and killed Jamie Yazzie, a Pinon woman who went missing in the summer of 2019, and whose remains were found on the Hopi Indian Reservation in November 2021. Ms. Yazzie was listed as a missing person by both Federal and Tribal law enforcement. The investigation into Ms. Yazzie’s disappearance was headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but multiple agencies provided invaluable assistance at all stages, including the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Services, Navajo Nation Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs (Hopi), and Navajo County Sherriff’s Office.
While investigating Ms. Yazzie’s disappearance, law enforcement uncovered several acts of domestic violence that James committed against other women. The jury unanimously found James guilty of these domestic violence counts as well, Counts 3 through 9.
“Vindicating the rights of missing and murdered indigenous persons requires all the energy and compassion we have,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino.“That means not only investigation and prosecution of tough cases, but also community engagement, cultural competence, and active listening to next of kin and other family members.”
FBI Special Agent Dustin Drace led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer E. LaGrange and Sharon K. Sexton, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution. Ms. Yazzie’s family, including her mother, father, grandmother, and other relatives and friends attended all seven days of trial, and want to express gratitude to their attorney, Darlene Gomez, for doing the same.
The Crime Victims’ Rights Act recognizes the importance of private lawyers in amplifying victims’ rights, and the Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund is available to pay travel and lodging costs and per diem for next of kin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is committed to addressing the persistent violence endured by Native American families and communities in the state of Arizona, including by working with Tribal nations to address the important issues of missing or murdered indigenous persons, and acts of domestic violence. This office and the Department of Justice view this work as a priority for its law enforcement components.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-08073-PCT-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-139_James# # #
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.Assault of a Federal Officer Gets Man 18 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, Jorge Oliverio Moran-Can, 42, of Guatemala, was sentenced by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 18 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Moran-Can was previously convicted of one count of Assault of a Federal Officer.
A jury convicted Moran-Can on April 24, 2023, of assaulting a United State Border Patrol agent by intentionally shoving the agent down a steep, rocky incline. The agent sustained minor injuries.
The U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Houston, Frances Kreamer Hope, and Matthew C. Cassell, District of Arizona, Tucson, handed the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 22-01661-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-141_Moran-Can# # #
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.Additional Five-Year Sentence for Prison AssaultRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Robert Cameron Foust, 39, of Alabama, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to five years in prison. Foust will serve his five years consecutive to the sentence he is currently serving in CR 09-10100-JTM (District of Kansas). Foust previously pleaded guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.
On October 18, 2018, Foust, an inmate at the Federal Bureau of Prison’s Federal Correctional Center, in Tucson, Arizona, attacked another inmate with a prison-made knife. The victim fell to the ground and Foust continued to stab him. In total, the victim sustained more than 20 non-life-threatening wounds. Foust later told agents that had the victim resisted or defended himself during the stabbing event, Foust would have “smoked” the victim. Foust also admitted that he had made the five-inch knife. At the time of the attack, Foust was already serving a 185-month sentence for Commercial Robbery, Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
The FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Serra M. Tsethlikai, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-19-00841-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-142_Foust# # #
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.Sexual Abuser Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Vandrick Yazzie, 34, of Red Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 180 months in prison. Yazzie pleaded guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child.
Between 2018 and 2019, Yazzie, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, sexually abused the minor victim while she was in his care on the Navajo Nation. After Yazzie finishes serving his prison term, he will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life, and required to register as a sex offender.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Juan County New Mexico Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 21-08132-PCT-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-137_Yazzie# # #
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.Arizona Woman Indicted for Importing Almost 95 Pounds of Methamphetamine from MexicoRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Rosa Villanueva, 39, of Somerton, Arizona, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on two counts of Importation of Methamphetamine and Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
The indictment alleges that on August 16, 2023, Villanueva drove her vehicle from Mexico through the San Luis Port of Entry and was stopped after a drug-sniffing canine alerted on her vehicle. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducted a search of the vehicle and discovered almost 95 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in 161 packages throughout the car.
Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and up to lifetime supervised release.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Homeland Security Investigations, Yuma Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah Coakley II, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-01295-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-138_Villanueva# # #
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.Two Shipping Container Cases Between Arizona and Federal Officials DismissedRead the Press Release
Two cases between Arizona and Federal officials involving shipping containers were voluntarily dismissed on Sept. 15. Both cases generated national media attention regarding the State of Arizona’s unauthorized installation of shipping container barriers on federal property at the international border with Mexico. In the first case, the then-governor brought a declaratory action against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Forest Service, claiming that Arizona was legally entitled to install shipping containers at the border. The United States followed with an affirmative lawsuit against various Arizona officials that sought a halt to the project, removal of the shipping containers and damages for trespass, ejectment, interference with easements and other constitutional violations on federal lands.
Immediately upon the filing of the United States’ lawsuit, the State agreed to stop the installation project and to remove all the shipping containers from federal lands. Both cases were then stayed pending further resolution between the parties. During the stay, Arizona removed all shipping containers from United States’ properties and completed extensive remediation work on National Forest lands that had been damaged by the installation and subsequent removal of the shipping containers. Arizona also paid the United States an additional $2.1 million dollars under a Collection Agreement to allow the U.S. Forest Service to complete additional remediation and revegetation work along the border.
“We worked to ensure that U.S. property rights and agency missions were respected especially since the placement of the shipping containers by the State of Arizona abutted on our international border with Mexico,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We appreciate the collective support of U.S. Attorney Restaino and his office, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture in seeing this situation through, including remediating the land where the containers were placed.”
“Comprehensive border solutions require collaboration and common sense,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. “When Arizona unilaterally placed hundreds of shipping containers on tribal and federal land back in 2022, it made the border less safe. The containers have now been removed and the land restored. Thanks to the Department of the Interior (through the Bureau of Reclamation) for supporting the rights of the Cocopah Tribe, and to the Department of Agriculture (through the Forest Service) for its vigilance against environmental degradation.”
Because Arizona has resolved its trespass and remediated or paid to remediate the damage to federal property, the United States determined that its lawsuit was no longer necessary and voluntarily dismissed the litigation.
Senior Trial Attorneys Andrew Smith and Shaun Pettigrew of the Environment and Natural Resources Division's Natural Resources Section prosecuted the cases.
U.S. Attorney's Office for District of Arizona Celebrates Funding Awarded for Community Responses to Gender-Based ViolenceRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. ⸺ In commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the original enactment of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Justice Department announced yesterday nearly $193 million in formula and discretionary grant awards, including over $3 million for the District of Arizona.
For nearly three decades, VAWA provided the tools and resources to protect and serve survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. To commemorate the 29th anniversary of VAWA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for District of Arizona is proud to announce that the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded grant monies to Arizona to support community responses to gender-based violence.
Specifically, Arizona received the following funds for the 2023 fiscal year:
● OVW awarded $3,609,737 under the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants Program - the VAWA’s signature program - which awards funds to every U.S. state and territory to promote a coordinated community response among law enforcement, prosecution, courts, victim services organizations, and other community services to ensure the safety of survivors. The money awarded to Arizona will be used to enhance the capacity to develop programs to end gender-based violence and hold offenders accountable.
“Prior to the enactment of VAWA, survivors were primarily left to fend for themselves, often cycling in and out of dangerous environments with little help from legal systems or service providers,” OVW Director Rosie Hidalgo said. “VAWA has changed this landscape by supporting a coordinated community response to address domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in a more comprehensive manner. It emphasizes survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and community-based approaches and ensures that services are available across every state and territory.”
OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through implementing VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities nationwide that are developing programs, policies, and practices to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
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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.RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-136_OVW Grant Awards
Tucson Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Possession of Child Sex Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Kyle Adam Haney, 60, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker on August 31, 2023, to 120 months in prison. Haney pleaded guilty on October 6, 2022, to one count of Possession of Child Pornography. When Haney is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Haney was identified in connection with an investigation into the production of child sex abuse material by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In the course of that investigation, agents discovered communications by Haney about sharing sexually explicit images of prepubescent children. Agents subsequently searched Haney’s phone pursuant to a search warrant and discovered several sexually explicit images of minor children which included infants and toddlers.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carin C. Duryee and Scott A. Turk, District of Arizona, Tucson, handed the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 21-02970-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-135_Haney# # #
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.Seven Individuals Charged with Distribution of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine on Tohono O'odham NationRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Nina Buendia, Patricia Garcia, Kayloni Guerra, Ernesto Martin, Michael Cory Norris, and Mount Vernon Robinson of Sells, Arizona, and Travis Lopez of Covered Wells, Arizona, were indicted last week on charges of Distribution of Fentanyl or Methamphetamine. The indictments mark the conclusion of a community impact initiative on the Tohono O’odham Nation that started in August of 2022 and involved enforcement action on 27 methamphetamine or fentanyl transactions from the Sells and Covered Wells, Arizona communities.
In addition to interdicting hand-to-hand drug sales, agents executed multiple residential search warrants and recovered an additional 157 grams of methamphetamine, 695 grams of fentanyl, two handguns, three rifle magazines, 264 rounds of ammunition, and U.S. currency. Lopez, who is a prohibited possessor, was also indicted on Felon in Possession of Firearm charges.
Homeland Security Investigations Sells and the Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation in these cases, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tohono O’odham Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, will be handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBERS: CR-23-1308-TUC-RCC
CR-23-1309-TUC-SHR
CR-23-1310-TUC-RCC
CR-23-1312-TUC-JAS
CR-23-1313-TUC-RCC
CR-23-1311-TUC-JAS
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-134_Tohono O’odham Community Impact Initiative# # #
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.Final Co-Conspirator Sentenced to Prison for COVID-19 Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Patrick Green, 48, of Longview, Texas, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 14 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $226,146 in restitution. Green pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
Green was the final co-conspirator to be sentenced in this case. Jonathan Blake, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, and Bethany Helene Green, 46, of Longview, Texas, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in this case. In early August, Judge Hinderaker sentenced Blake to six months in prison, and sentenced Bethany Green to 37 months in prison. All three co-defendants are responsible for, and ordered to pay, $226,146 in restitution.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, to offset employees’ lost wages, the federal government added $600 per week in federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) to the states’ standard unemployment payments. In May 2020, shortly after this government relief was announced, Bethany Green devised a fraudulent scheme to apply for Arizona unemployment assistance and the additional PUA funds on behalf of inmates at the Pima County Jail who were not entitled to receive unemployment payments. Bethany Green conspired with inmates at the jail, including her husband, Patrick Green, and another inmate, Jonathan Blake, to apply for benefits on their behalf. Patrick Green and Jonathan Blake also recruited other inmates to the scheme. A total of 16 inmates provided their personal identifying information which Bethany Green then used online to fraudulently apply and obtain unemployment benefits for the inmates. Bethany Green charged the inmates a fee, typically $1,000, to complete the online unemployment applications. Bethany Green then charged the inmates an additional weekly fee of $100 to file the weekly certifications necessary to continue the unemployment payments. In total, Bethany Green and her co-conspirators defrauded the Arizona Department of Economic Security of $226,146 in false unemployment claims.
United States Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security-Office of Inspector General, and Arizona Department of Economic Security-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-01664-TUC-JCH (BGM)-1
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-133_Green# # #
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.Prolific Human Smuggler Extradited from Mexico to the United StatesRead the Press Release
Extensive coordination and cooperation efforts between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities culminated in the extradition of a human smuggler, who allegedly operated in Mexicali on the U.S.-Mexico border for several years as part of an international human smuggling conspiracy.
In March, Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 61, was arrested in Mexico pursuant to a U.S. request for her extradition and surrendered by Mexico to U.S. authorities on Sept. 5 to face charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed in March. She is scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court later today in Phoenix, Arizona.
“This extradition is the result of continued coordination between the Justice Department and our Mexican law enforcement partners to bring to justice human smugglers who exploit migrants’ desperation and undermine the rule of law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It is another example of the impactful work Joint Task Force Alpha is doing to disrupt dangerous criminal operations and dismantle transnational criminal organizations by pursuing their leadership — wherever they operate.”
According to court documents, Hernandez-Salas allegedly conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of large numbers of migrants into the United States from and through Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Hernandez-Salas and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 48, allegedly charged the migrants as much as tens of thousands of dollars to make the journey and directed the migrants where to unlawfully cross the border into the United States, including by providing them with a ladder to climb over the border fence. Hernandez-Salas and co-conspirators also allegedly robbed the migrants of money and personal belongings while armed with guns and knives.
In June, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed corresponding sanctions on the Hernandez Salas transnational criminal organization.
Saucedo-Huipio remains in custody in Mexico.
The indictments against Hernandez-Salas and Raul Saucedo-Huipio, and their subsequent arrests, were coordinated through Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA was created in June 2021 by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, in partnership with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, to strengthen the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling emanating from Central America and impacting our border communities. JTFA’s goal is to disrupt and dismantle human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, with a focus on networks that endanger, abuse, or exploit migrants, present national security risks, or engage in other types of transnational organized crime.
“When international criminal organizations endanger economic migrants seeking a better life in America, an international response is required,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. “JTFA’s partnership with Mexico holds managers and organizers accountable for the criminal activities of cross-border smugglers.”
“This extradition is another testament to our global commitment to investigating, combating and dismantling human smuggling networks,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “HSI is dedicated to its law enforcement partnerships and mission, notably those accomplished through JTFA efforts, that seek to eradicate these crimes and bring those who propagate them to justice.”
HSI Yuma is investigating the case with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, FBI, and U.S. Marshals Service, working in concert with HSI Tijuana, INTERPOL, and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. HSI also received substantial assistance from CBP’s National Targeting Center/Counter Network Division and OFAC.
JTFA Co-Director James Hepburn and Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Jennis for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico. The Justice Department thanks its Mexican law enforcement partners, who were instrumental in arresting Hernandez-Salas, and the Mexican Attorney General’s Office and the Mexican Foreign Ministry for making the extradition possible.
Since its creation, JTFA has successfully increased coordination and collaboration between the Justice Department, DHS, and other U.S. law enforcement agencies, and with foreign law enforcement partners, including in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico; targeted those organizations who have the most impact on the United States; and coordinated significant human smuggling indictments and extradition efforts in U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the country. JTFA is comprised of detailees from southwest border U.S. Attorneys’ offices, including the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona, and the Southern District of California. Dedicated support for the program is also provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division that are part of JTFA, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training; the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; the Office of Enforcement Operations; the Office of International Affairs; and the Organized Crime and Gang Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners.
This investigation is also supported by the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks or raise grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
The charges contained in an indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Money Launderer Sentenced to Prison for Role in Online ScamsRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Edward Kwaku Boakye, 27, of White Plains, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker on August 22, 2023, to 14 months in prison and ordered to pay $532,738 in restitution to 11 victims. Boakye pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
Between February 10, 2017, and October 28, 2020, Boakye laundered money for other scammers who lured victims into various online frauds. Some victims believed they were sending money to support an online romantic partner who falsely stated they needed to pay taxes and fees to release an inheritance. Other victims believed they were sending money to ship gold bars in which they had an interest to the United States. The scammers directed the victims’ monies into accounts controlled by Boakye and his co-conspirator. The FBI traced $710,068.91 sent by 40 victims through Boakye’s and his co-conspirator’s accounts. One Arizona victim lost nearly $5 million to the scams, sending Boakye and his co-conspirator almost $500,000 and the remaining money to multiple other individuals.
When Boakye and his co-conspirator received the fraudulently-obtained monies, they kept a fee for themselves, and then transferred the funds via trade-based money laundering or other means to Ghana. Trade-based money laundering occurs when criminally-derived funds are used to purchase a commodity (in this case, motor vehicles) in the profit center for the criminal activity (here, in the United States) for shipment to the headquarters of the criminal organization (as to Mr. Boakye, in Ghana).
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sierra Vista Resident Agency, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-00031-001-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-132_Boakye# # #
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.70-Year-Old Human Smuggler Sentenced to 45 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Michael Ortiz, 70, of Tucson, Arizona was sentenced by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins on August 29, 2023, to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Ortiz pleaded guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit. Ortiz also was sentenced to 12 months of consecutive imprisonment for violating conditions of his federal supervised release, which was imposed for the defendant’s 2018 alien smuggling conviction.
On July 21, 2022, Ortiz was encountered by United States Border Patrol agents while transporting four individuals who were illegally in the United States. Ortiz failed to yield to agents, traveled at speeds of 90 miles-per-hour, and evaded law enforcement for approximately 30 minutes. He was apprehended after his vehicle became stuck near a wash on a dirt road.
Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 22-01803-TUC-RCC
CR 18-00360-TUC-RCC
CR 13-01304-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-131_Ortiz# # #
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.Importer of Methamphetamine Sentenced to 45 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. –Emma Encinas-Obregon, 34, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 45 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Encinas-Obregon pleaded guilty to Importation of Methamphetamine.
On October 19, 2022, Encinas-Obregon entered the United States from Mexico through the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, in a 2011 Audi A4. Concealed inside the vehicle were 50 packages containing 23 kilograms of methamphetamines. Encinas-Obregon admitted to smuggling drugs into the United States on eight separate occasions since August 2022. Each time, after entering the United States, Encinas-Obregon would leave her car while shopping and members of a criminal organization would remove drugs from her vehicle. Encinas-Obregon was paid approximately $2,000 each time she smuggled drugs from Mexico into the United States.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Evan N. Wesley, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-02507-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-130_Encinas-Obregon# # #
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.Former Phoenix Resident Sentenced to Prison for Producing Child Pornography Involving Three MinorsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Michael Martinez, 28, of Fort Worth, Texas, but formerly of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 40 years in prison. Martinez pleaded guilty on March 8, 2023, to three counts of Producing Child Pornography, involving three minors, ages 7, 5, and 3. When Martinez is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life.
In 2016, when Martinez was 22 years old, he lived in Phoenix, Arizona, in a house with Child Doe 1 (age 7). As an acquaintance of Child Doe 1’s mother, Martinez had access to Child Doe 1 and took sexually explicit pictures and videos of the minor in January 2016. Later in 2016, Martinez moved residences and lived with Child Doe 2 (age 5) and Child Doe 3 (age 3), because he was a roommate of the minors’ mother. In this house, Martinez acted as a babysitter where he had access to the minors and took sexually explicit pictures and videos of both of them in November 2016. Further, Martinez admitted engaging in sex acts with the three minors. In 2022, Martinez was arrested in Texas where he had moved in 2017 after these events.
“The pain and harm caused to these victims is irreparable,” said Gary Restaino, United States Attorney for the District of Arizona. “The court’s sentence sends a strong message of deterrence to those who seek to hurt children.”
“Children deserve to feel and be safe in their homes,” said Myron T. Byrd, acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Phoenix field office. “Today’s sentencing should bring some closure to the families knowing this predator will be in federal prison for a very long time. I want to thank the members of the FBI Phoenix Crimes Against Children Squad for their work on this case and their commitment to protecting our children to ensure justice is served for them,” Byrd added.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The case was investigated by the Phoenix Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Phoenix Division, Dallas Division, and FBI Headquarters). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gayle L. Helart and Brett A. Day, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-00272-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-129_Martinez# # #
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.Man Pleads Guilty to Making Threats to Arizona State Election OfficialRead the Press Release
An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to sending threatening communications to an election official with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.
“The Justice Department has no tolerance for illegal threats that target those who administer our elections, and it will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute such criminal conduct,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These threats endanger election workers and their families, and they endanger our democracy.”
According to court documents, on or about Aug. 2, 2022, on the date of Arizona’s primary elections, Joshua Russell, 44, of Bucyrus, left the following voicemail for an election official with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office (Victim‑1): “This message is for traitor [Victim-1’s full name]. You’ve drug your feet, you’ve done nothing, to protect our election for 2020. You’re committing election fraud, you’re starting to do it again, from day one. You’re the enemy of the United States, you’re a traitor to this country, and you better put your sh[inaudible], your [expletive] affairs in order, ’cause your days [inaudible] are extremely numbered. America’s coming for you, and you will pay with your life, you communist [expletive] traitor [expletive].”
“Election officials are the first responders of democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona. “We best vindicate the work of these public servants when we locate, investigate, and prosecute those who make threats against them.”
Additionally, on or about Sept. 9, 2022, Russell left the following voicemail for Victim-1: “This message is for terrorist [Victim-1’s last name]. The only reason you’re still walking around on this planet is because we’re waiting for the midterms to see you prosecuted for the crimes you have done to our nation. You are a terrorist. You are a derelict criminal. And you have a few short months to see yourself behind bars, or we will see you to the grave. You are a traitor to this nation, and you will suffer the [expletive] consequences.”
“This case is another successful result from the hard work of the Election Threats Task Force,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners will continue to investigate anyone who threatens election officials working to keep America’s elections fair and free.”
Finally, on or about Nov. 15, 2022, Russell left the following voicemail for Victim-1: “This message is for communist, criminal, [Victim-1’s full name]. We will not endure your crimes on America another day. You’ve been busted, over and over again. We will not wait for you to be drugged through court. A war is coming for you. The entire nation is coming for you. And we will stop, at no end, until you are in the ground. You’re a traitor to this nation. You’re a [expletive] piece of [expletive] communist, and you just signed your own death warrant. Get your affairs in order, cause, your days are very short.”
Russell pleaded guilty to one count of making a threatening interstate communication. The sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13, and the defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Phoenix Field Office is investigating the case, with the assistance of the FBI Cleveland Field Office, Mansfield Resident Agency.
Trial Attorney Tanya Senanayake of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean K. Lokey for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the Department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers – whether elected, appointed, or volunteer – are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI Field Offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Two years after its formation, the task force is continuing this work and supporting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the task force has begun.
Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Department of Justice, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force Secures Ninth ConvictionRead the Press Release
Today in the Northern District of Georgia and in the District of Arizona, the Justice Department secured guilty pleas in two criminal cases involving defendants charged with making illegal threats against members of the election community.
The guilty pleas follow two recent sentencings in the District of Arizona and the Northern District of Texas. To date, the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force has charged 14 cases involving threats against the election community and secured nine convictions.
“A functioning democracy requires that the public servants who administer our elections are able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute those who target election officials and election workers as part of our broader efforts to safeguard the right to vote and to defend our democracy.”
On Monday in the District of Arizona, an Iowa man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for sending threatening communications to an election official on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and to the then-Attorney General of Arizona.
This afternoon in the Northern District of Georgia, a Texas man pleaded guilty to posting a message riddled with graphic threats aimed at two Georgia officials, an election worker, and local law enforcement.
Also today in the District of Arizona, an Ohio man pleaded guilty to sending a death threat to an election official with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.
And finally, earlier this month, a Texas man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for threats he made to an official in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and another Maricopa County official.
During and following the 2020 election cycle, the election community reported a sharp increase in hostile and threatening communications received from members of the public. In response to the increase in threats, in June 2021 the Justice Department announced the creation of the Election Threats Task Force, which includes members from the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, to address the rise in threats against the election community, and to protect all election workers – whether they be elected officials, appointed officials, or those who volunteer their time – against the threats they face.
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