District of Arizona
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Tucson Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Abusive Sexual Contact of a ChildRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Cylus Miller Alvarado, 25, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Sharad H. Desai to 192 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.
Alvarado previously pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact of a child.
“When children are targeted by sexual predators, it causes long-lasting harm to survivors, their families and often their communities,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Our justice system must protect children, decisively and without compromise. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal and tribal law enforcement partners continue to use every available tool to identify and bring to account individuals, like Alvarado, who perpetrate crimes against the most innocent among us.”
“One of the most important things FBI Phoenix does is protecting children around the world from predators seeking to harm them. We thank the brave victim and witness who came forward in this case to help us put Cylus Alvarado behind bars for more than a decade,” said FBI Phoenix Acting Special Agent in Charge Joe Hooper. “The FBI hopes this sentence shows our unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for all victims of similar abuse and sends the message to all offenders—you will be pursued, prosecuted, and punished.”
Between April 1, 2022, and June 12, 2023, Alvarado engaged in abusive sexual contact with a minor victim who was under the age of 12 on multiple occasions at the residence where he was living in Parker, Arizona, on the Colorado River Indian Tribes Indian Reservation. Alvarado and the minor victim are enrolled members of the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
The FBI Phoenix, Lake Havasu office, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina J. Reid-Moore, District of Arizona, Phoenix, prosecuted the case.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-02020-PHX-SHD
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-006_Alvarado
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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.
37 Mexican Nationals Wanted for Serious Crimes Transferred to the United States from Mexico, Including Leaders of Foreign Terrorist OrganizationsRead the Press Release
The United States announced today that yesterday evening it took into custody 37 fugitives from Mexico facing a range of federal criminal charges around the country, including charges relating to narcoterrorism, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, firearms trafficking, human smuggling, money laundering, and various drug trafficking offenses, including conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.
Among the fugitives taken into U.S. custody are prolific human smugglers, violent arms traffickers, and alleged members of dangerous drug cartels, including those designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste (CDN, formerly Los Zetas), and Cártel de Golfo (CDG) as well as additional drug trafficking organizations, such as the Gulf Cartel, La Linea, and the former Beltrán-Leyva Organization.
“This is another landmark achievement in the Trump Administration’s mission to destroy the cartels. These 37 cartel members – including terrorists from the Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, and others – will now pay for their crimes against the American people on American soil,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We are grateful for this collaboration with our international partners and will deliver swift, comprehensive justice for members of Foreign Terrorist Organizations who have spent years preying on the American people.”
“The FBI has proven that we will hold dangerous criminals accountable for their egregious violent acts, no matter where they try to hide,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Today’s announcement of the return of dozens of fugitives from Mexico to face charges is yet another example of the FBI’s relentless work and partnerships here in the U.S. and in Mexico. We will continue to work to put a stop to these drug cartels, arms traffickers, and terrorists from bringing crime, drugs, and firearms to our city streets and neighborhoods.”
“The significance of this transfer cannot be overstated. Thirty-seven fugitives were brought from Mexico to the United States to face justice for alleged crimes that have spread violence, threatened public safety, and devastated families. Among them are individuals tied to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, both designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “We thank the Government of Mexico for standing with us. DEA will keep driving forward with our U.S. and international partners to dismantle these terrorist cartels, cut off the fentanyl supply, and save American lives.”
“Leadership like President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s to work diligently to bring all of these wanted criminals back to the United States reinforces their commitment to getting justice for their victims,” said Director Gadyaces S. Serralta of the United States Marshals Service (USMS). “This sends a very clear message; justice does not stop at borders.”
“ATF is on the front lines of the fight against violent crime,” said Deputy Director Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Our agents are hunting down gangs, cartels, and transnational organizations that traffic illegal firearms and turn our streets into war zones. We will dismantle these networks at every level, cut off their access to weapons, and hold every criminal accountable. Those who profit from violence will be found, stopped, and brought to justice.”
Yesterday’s transfer marks only the third time that Mexico has used its National Security Law to expel fugitives to the United States. It is also the largest such transfer of fugitives to occur — the first transfer, on Feb. 27, 2025, involved 29 fugitives, and the second, on Aug.12, 2025, involved 26 fugitives.
Mexican National Fugitives Transferred to U.S. Custody Mexican National Fugitives Transferred to U.S. Custody Mexican National Fugitives Transferred to U.S. CustodyIncluded in yesterday’s transfer are the following fugitives:
- Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez. Navarro-Sanchez is the first Mexican national to be charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization based on her involvement with the CJNG, including providing the cartel with grenades and engaging in alien smuggling, firearms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and narcotics trafficking on its behalf. CJNG, which controls a significant portion of the narcotics trafficking trade, also engages in money laundering, bribery, extortion of migrants, and other criminal activities, including acts of violence and intimidation.
Eduardo Rigoberto Velasco Calderon and Eliomar Segura Torres. Velasco Calderon and Segura Torres are alleged to be members of Mexico-based money laundering organizations responsible for collecting bulk cash drug proceeds in the United States and transferring the funds to Mexico through cryptocurrency transfers. These organizations help launder funds for Mexico-based drug trafficking organizations, including the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion and the Sinaloa Cartel. Velasco Calderon and Segura Torres received financial compensation for the money laundered in the form of a commission, or percentage of the money laundered, each time that proceeds of drug sales were returned to the drug trafficking organization.
Heriberto Hernández Rodriguez. Hernández Rodriguez is accused of having been a member of Cártel del Noreste responsible for drug trafficking, kidnappings and assassinations, and procuring weapons for the cartel. Between 2006 and his arrest in November 2022, Hernández Rodriguez is alleged to have commanded hundreds of sicarios and ordered the deaths of multiple people. Hernández Rodriguez is also alleged to have overseen security for the cartel’s stash houses in Mexico, which served as staging points for thousands of kilograms of marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine to be transported into the United States for distribution.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega. In May 2025, Pedro Inzunza Noriega, also known as Sagitario and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, were the first Sinaloa Cartel leaders in the nation to be charged with narcoterrorism and material support of terrorism, along with drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) is a powerful and violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that is believed to be the world’s largest known fentanyl production network. Five other BLO leaders are charged with drug trafficking and money laundering. Pedro Inzunza Noriega worked closely with his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, to produce and aggressively traffic fentanyl to the United States. The father and son led one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world. Over the past several years, they have trafficked tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. On Dec. 3, 2024, Mexican law enforcement raided multiple locations in Sinaloa that are controlled and managed by the father and son and seized 1,500 kilograms (more than 1.65 tons) of fentanyl – the largest known seizure of fentanyl in world history. On Nov. 30, 2025, the son, Inzunza Coronel, was killed during a capture operation in Mexico. On Dec. 31, 2025, Pedro Inzunza Noriega, aka Sagitario was captured by the Mexican military.
Juan Pablo Bastidas Erenas also known as Payo. Juan Pablo Bastidas Erenas aka Payo is a high-ranking lieutenant of the Beltran Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and the long-time right-hand man of Consolidated Priority Organization Target Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, also known as “El Musico”. Bastidas has operated with impunity for over 20 years and has imported and distributed thousands of tons of cocaine from Colombia to the United States, via Mexico. In addition to cocaine trafficking, Bastidas has imported and distributed large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine from Mexico to the United States. Bastidas is also responsible for laundering millions of dollars from drug proceeds, weapons trafficking, and has engaged in kidnapping, torture, and murder. Bastidas was captured on May 28, 2025, by the Mexican military.
Juan Carlos Alonso Reyes. Regional Priority Organization Target Juan Carlos Alonso Reyes was the leader of “The Office,” a transnational criminal organization which operated physical locations in Tijuana where Alonso Reyes and his co-conspirators sold mainly fentanyl and methamphetamine. The Office’s physical locations worked as a type of illicit 24/7 drug convenience store for mostly American buyers. It operated so openly and notoriously that at one time you could search The Office on Google Maps, and the physical location would appear in Tijuana. Alonso Reyes coordinated drug sales and distribution from The Office to hundreds of internal body carriers who then smuggled the drugs into the United States via the district’s Ports of Entry. On Jan. 23, 2024, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR) physically seized and closed the Office’s latest location in Tijuana.
Julio Cesar Mancera Dozal. Julio Cesar Mancera Dozal was the leader of a drug smuggling organization that is part of the Sinaloa Cartel that imported and distributed hundreds of pounds of cocaine into the United States from Mexico. His organization was headquartered in Tijuana, Mexico, and imported drugs into San Diego, California, through vehicles with sophisticated non-factory compartments, with further distribution into the Central District of California (Los Angeles, Orange County, and Riverside). Once crossed, additional co-conspirators also under the leadership and coordination of Mancera removed, stored, and transported the drugs further into the United States.
Juan Pedro Saldivar-Farias, also known as “Z-27,” is charged in the Southern District of Texas with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, as well as associated drug trafficking offenses. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. According to the indictment, Saldivar-Farias served as a Zeta Regional Commander and Plaza Boss located in the Falcon Lake area of South Texas. Along with his brother, Jose Manuel Saldivar-Farias, also known as “Z-31” or “El Borrado,” Saldivar-Farias oversaw all narcotics moving in and around the Falcon Lake area. Agents estimate that several multi-ton quantities of marijuana were crossed into the United States through this area every week. During their time as Plaza bosses, multi-ton quantities of cocaine were also imported into the United States on a monthly basis. The Saldivar-Farias brothers were the source of marijuana and cocaine for the NETO Drug Trafficking Organization. Any other dope or contraband moving through the area from non-Zetas had to be approved by one of the brothers, or was subject to a “piso,” or tax, paid for landing in or crossing through the area. A separate piso was charged for crossing the contraband into the United States. Individuals who did not secure permission or pay the piso would be held hostage, beaten, tortured, killed, or some combination of all four. Saldivar-Farias’s brother, Z-31, was caught by immigration authorities in 2015, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in 2017, and is currently serving a thirty-year sentence.
Ricardo Cortez-Mateos, also known as “Billeton,” is a former high-ranking member of the Cartel del Golfo, and is charged in the Southern District of Texas with significant drug trafficking offenses for his role in importing large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Cortez-Mateos, 41, of Mexico, was originally indicted by a grand jury in Brownsville on Nov. 10, 2021, with nine counts, including conspiracy to possesses with intent to distribute and conspiracy to unlawfully import more than 50 grams of meth, more than five kilograms of cocaine, and more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Cortez-Mateos faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison if convicted.
Below is a complete list of fugitives,[1] as well as the districts in which they are charged:
Fugitive
Jurisdiction
Statutory Maximum
Ricardo Cortez MateosSouthern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentFidel Felix OchoaSouthern District of FloridaUp to life imprisonmentOscar Hernandez FloresWestern District of OklahomaUp to life imprisonmentLuis Alonso Navarro QuezadaDistrict of ColoradoUp to life imprisonmentDavid Eliezer Seas CentenoDistrict of New MexicoUp to life imprisonmentJuan Pedro Saldivar FariasSouthern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentCarlos Alberto Guerrero MercardoEastern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentJair Francisco Patron TobiasEastern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentGuillermo Isaias Perez ParraEastern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentManuel Ignacio CorreaEastern District of Kentucky20 years’ imprisonmentYahir Alejandro Lujan RojoWestern District of PennsylvaniaUp to life imprisonmentLucas Anthony MendozaSouthern District of IndianaUp to life imprisonmentEliomar Segura TorresEastern District of Kentucky20 years’ imprisonmentEduardo Rigoberto Velasco CalderonEastern District of Kentucky20 years’ imprisonmentFrancisco Arredondo ColmeneroWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentGustavo Castro MedinaWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentLuis Carlos Davalos LopezWestern District of Texas25 years’ imprisonmentSEALEDWestern District of Texas25 years’ imprisonmentHeriberto Hernandez RodriguezWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentDaniel Manera MaciasWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentMaria del Rosario Navarro SanchezWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentHumberto Rivera RiveraWestern District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentRicardo Gonzalez Sauceda Western District of TexasUp to life imprisonmentJuan Carlos Alonso Reyes Southern District of CaliforniaUp to life imprisonmentJuan Pablo Bastidas ErenasSouthern District of CaliforniaUp to life imprisonmentPedro Inzunza NoriegaSouthern District of CaliforniaUp to life imprisonmentSEALEDDistrict of Arizona20 years’ imprisonmentJulio Cesar Mancera DozalSouthern District of CaliforniaUp to life imprisonmentRodrigo Perez MesquiteDistrict of Arizona20 years’ imprisonmentJose Luis Sanchez ValenciaWestern District of WashingtonUp to life imprisonmentJorge Damian Roman FigueroaDistrict of ArizonaUp to life imprisonmentArmando Gomez NunezDistrict of ColumbiaUp to life imprisonmentSEALEDDistrict of ColumbiaUp to life imprisonmentJose Pineda PerezMiddle District of GeorgiaUp to life imprisonmentJose Gerardo Alvarez VasquezSouthern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentJose TorresSouthern District of New YorkUp to life imprisonmentDaniel Alfredo Blanco-JooDistrict of New MexicoUp to life imprisonmentAttorney General Pamela Bondi thanked the law enforcement officers of the DEA, FBI, ATF, USMS, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their valuable contributions to these investigations.
Attorney General Bondi also thanked the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs for coordinating the transfers, as well as the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and the Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, the Southern District of California, the District of Columbia, the District of Colorado, the Southern District of Florida, the Eastern District of Kentucky, the Middle District of Georgia, the Southern District of Indiana, the District of New Mexico, the Eastern District of New York, the Southern District of New York, the Western District of Oklahoma, the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, and the Western District of Washington for handling the prosecution of the cases.
These transfers are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
[1] This chart contains the maximum penalty for the single most serious crime for which the defendant is currently charged. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
District of Arizona Charges 136 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Jan.10 through Jan. 16, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 136 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 76 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 39 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 19 cases against 21 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Elias Alfonso Diaz-Martinez. Diaz-Martinez was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien, Jan. 12, 2026. A deputy with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office observed a car traveling 85 mph in a 75-mph speed zone westbound on I-10 and initiated a traffic stop for speeding, failure to maintain a lane, and an unsecured license plate. The deputy requested identification from the driver, later identified as Diaz-Martinez, and the front seat passenger. The deputy noticed dirt and grass covered the passenger’s floorboard, indicating a potential human smuggling event. Immigration checks confirmed that Diaz-Martinez is a citizen of Venezuela, and the passenger is a citizen of Mexico, both unlawfully present in the United States. 26-8001MJ – Phoenix.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-005_January 20 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Mesa Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Setting Fire to Tesla DealershipRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Ian William Moses, 35, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced Jan. 13, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 60 months of imprisonment, the mandatory minimum, followed by 36 months of supervised release, for setting fire to a Tesla vehicle and a Tesla dealership in Mesa, Arizona, on April 28, 2025. Restitution will be determined at a hearing set for April 13, 2026.
A federal grand jury in Phoenix previously returned a five-count indictment charging Moses with maliciously damaging property and vehicles by means of fire, and Moses pleaded guilty to all charges on Oct. 27, 2025.
“Arson can never be an acceptable part of American politics. Mr. Moses’ actions endangered the public and first responders and could have easily turned deadly,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “This five-year sentence reflects the gravity of these crimes and makes clear that politically fueled attacks on Arizona’s communities and businesses will be met with full accountability.”
“This sentence sends a clear message: violence and intimidation have no place in our community,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “Setting fire to a business in retaliation for political or personal grievances is not protest—it is a crime. Our community deserves to feel safe, and this sentence underscores that Maricopa County will not tolerate political violence in any form.”
According to court documents, surveillance cameras showed Moses was at the Tesla dealership in Mesa shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday, April 28, 2025, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, tan ballcap, grey pants, black boots, and a black mask. He also carried a red plastic gas can and a black backpack. While in the Tesla dealership parking lot, Moses was captured on video as he placed fire starter logs next to the dealership building. Moses then poured gasoline onto the starter logs, the building, and three Tesla vehicles. At around 1:38 a.m., Moses ignited the starter logs, causing a fire that destroyed a silver Tesla Cybertruck. Video shows Moses leaving the dealership on a dark colored bicycle shortly thereafter.
Mesa police officers arrested Moses approximately a quarter mile from the Tesla dealership at around 3 a.m., still dressed in the same clothes as he was seen wearing at the scene. After his arrest, officers found a hand drawn map of the area in Moses’ pocket, which included a box with the letter “T” marking the dealership’s location.
“Arson is a violent crime, that not only endangers members of our community, but our first responders as well,” said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Shawn Stallo. “Our certified fire investigators, supported by the National Fire Research Laboratory, enables ATF to work with our local, state, and federal agencies to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”
“The safety of our community is of the utmost importance to the Mesa Police Department,” said Chief Dan Butler. "We do not tolerate violence or malicious actions that can lead to injury or death to members of the public or first responders. We are pleased with the swift justice delivered in this case. We appreciate the strong work of the Maricopa County and U.S. Attorneys’ offices.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI Phoenix Field Office, Mesa Police Department, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond K. Woo and Maricopa Deputy County Attorney Luke Coyne prosecuted the case. Coyne also acts as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.
CASE NUMBER: CR25-0657-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-005_Moses# # #
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.District of Arizona Charges 112 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Jan. 3 through Jan. 9, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 112 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 62 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 38 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 8 cases against 12 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Jose Antonio Martinez-Alarcon. Martinez-Alarcon was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien, Jan. 5, 2026. The defendant was previously removed from the United States on April 8, 2014, after being convicted of Conspiracy to Possess Dangerous Drugs for Sale (Methamphetamine), a felony, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. In that case, Martinez-Alarcon was sentenced to five years of imprisonment. 26-6002MJ, Phoenix.
United States v. Luis Alberto Diaz-Galdamez and Placido Geronimo Gonzales-Carmona. Diaz-Galdamez and Gonzales-Carmona were charged with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit, Jan.7, 2026. As charged in the complaint, Border Patrol agents using camera technology observed a group of suspected illegal aliens cross the international border near Douglas, Arizona. Agents responded and saw a vehicle pulling away from the last known location of the aliens. Agents followed and initiated a vehicle stop at which point the vehicle failed to yield. Agents pursued and, ultimately, used a vehicle immobilization device to stop the vehicle. Galdamez was the driver, and Gonzales was the front seat passenger. Two illegal aliens were discovered in the back seat of the vehicle. 26-MJ-07065-JEM, Tucson.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-004_Jan 9 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Tribal Police Officer Charged with Sexually Abusing Three Victims While on Duty: FBI Seeks Additional VictimsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – A White Mountain Apache Tribal Police officer was arrested Wednesday in Canyon Day on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, after being charged in a federal indictment with sexual abuse and kidnapping.
Karl Eugene Leslie, 42, of Whiteriver, Arizona, is charged in a 15-count indictment, returned Dec. 23, 2025, with Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Kidnapping (including one count of Kidnapping-Victim Under 18), Sexual Abuse through Fear, Sexual Abuse through Coercion, and Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law.
Leslie was an active law enforcement officer with the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation from April 2007 through June 2024. The indictment alleges that while working as an on-duty law enforcement officer, Leslie sexually abused three victims on dates ranging from Dec. 1, 2020, through Sept. 25, 2023. The indictment alleges that Leslie forcibly raped and kidnapped two of the three victims, one of whom was a minor, and that Leslie twice engaged in sexual acts with a third victim by threatening her and placing her in fear. Each victim is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office believes there could be additional victims and is asking anyone with information and/or any potential victims to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit the information via this seeking victim page: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-victim-information-in-karl-leslie-investigation.
A conviction for Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual Abuse through Fear, Sexual Abuse through Coercion, and Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law all carry a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. A conviction for Kidnapping-Victim Under 18 carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years.
The FBI Phoenix Pinetop-Lakeside office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dimitra H. Sampson (Flagstaff) and Lindsay L. Short (Phoenix), District of Arizona, are handling the prosecution.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: CR-2025-08232-PCT-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-003_Leslie
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.
Tribal Police Officer Charged with Sexually Abusing Three Victims While on Duty: FBI Seeks Additional Potential VictimsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – A White Mountain Apache Tribal Police officer was arrested Wednesday in Canyon Day on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, after being charged in a federal indictment with sexual abuse and kidnapping.
Karl Eugene Leslie, 42, of Whiteriver, Arizona, is charged in a 15-count indictment, returned Dec. 23, 2025, with Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Kidnapping (including one count of Kidnapping-Victim Under 18), Sexual Abuse through Fear, Sexual Abuse through Coercion, and Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law.
Leslie was an active law enforcement officer with the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation from April 2007 through June 2024. The indictment alleges that while working as an on-duty law enforcement officer, Leslie sexually abused three victims on dates ranging from Dec. 1, 2020, through Sept. 25, 2023. The indictment alleges that Leslie forcibly raped and kidnapped two of the three victims, one of whom was a minor, and that Leslie twice engaged in sexual acts with a third victim by threatening her and placing her in fear. Each victim is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office believes there could be additional victims and is asking anyone with information and/or any potential victims to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit the information via this seeking victim page: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-victim-information-in-karl-leslie-investigation.
A conviction for Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual Abuse through Fear, Sexual Abuse through Coercion, and Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law all carry a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. A conviction for Kidnapping-Victim Under 18 carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years.
The FBI Phoenix Pinetop-Lakeside office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dimitra H. Sampson (Flagstaff) and Lindsay L. Short (Phoenix), District of Arizona, are handling the prosecution.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: CR-2025-08232-PCT-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-003_Leslie
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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.
Tuba City Man Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Brandon Hyden, 40, of Tuba City, Arizona, was sentenced Dec. 16, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 23 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for Second Degree Murder, and five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, to be served concurrently. Hyden previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.
“Hyden has been brought to account for his senseless acts of violence that took a life and forever altered others,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “While no sentence can undo the pain suffered by the victims, their families, and the Tuba City community, this outcome reflects our commitment to justice. We thank our partners at the FBI, ATF and Navajo Nation Police Department for their diligent work in this case.”
“This sentence certainly reflects the senseless violence of this case and underscores our office’s commitment to protecting all communities in Arizona and ensuring that justice is served throughout the state,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke. “The FBI is responsible for investigating the most serious crimes on our tribal lands, and we will continue to aggressively pursue those individuals who commit these heinous acts of violence.”
On Jan. 26, 2025, Hyden murdered an unarmed victim by shooting him six times in a parking lot at a business in Tuba City, Arizona. Approximately thirty minutes later, Hyden shot another unarmed victim four times in a residential area within the Tuba City limits. The second victim survived his gunshot wounds after several weeks of hospitalization and intensive medical treatment.
Hyden is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
The FBI, Navajo Nation Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, prosecuted the case.
CASE NUMBER: CR-25-08026-PCT-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-002_Hyden
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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.
District of Arizona Charges 135 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Dec. 27 through Jan. 2, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 135 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 75 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 52 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 8 cases against 8 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Nolberto Erasmo Bojorquez-Chaparro. Bojorquez-Chaparro was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien, Dec. 29, 2025. According to the complaint, a Border Patrol agent received coordinates from an air unit of what appeared to be footprints for a group of five individuals. The Border Patrol agent located the footprints traveling south from the coordinates and followed the footprints to five subjects concealed in bushes and wearing camouflage clothing and carpet booties. Immigration checks confirmed that the five individuals were citizens of Mexico, all unlawfully present in the United States. Agents determined Bojorquez-Chaparro was guiding the group through the desert. 25-02214MJ, Phoenix.
United States v. Omar Luna-Silva. Luna-Silva was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien, Jan. 1, 2026. Luna-Silva was previously removed from the United States on May 16, 2013, after being convicted of Possession of Dangerous Drugs for Sale, a felony, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. In that case, Luna-Silva was sentenced to three years of probation. 26-3000MJ, Phoenix.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-001_January 5 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
District of Arizona Charges 143 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Dec. 20 through Dec. 26, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 143 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 105 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 32 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 6 cases against 6 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Dimer Oseas Nolasco-Mendez; United States v. Santiago Jeronimo-Jeronimo. The two defendants were charged, by complaints with Re-entry of Removed Alien on Dec. 24, 2025. According to the complaints, Arizona Department of Public Safety Troopers observed a vehicle traveling 90 mph in a 75-mph speed zone near Eloy, Arizona. The troopers initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle for invalid registration, speeding and failure to yield for an emergency vehicle. The troopers requested identification from the passengers, later identified as Nolasco-Mendez and Jeronimo-Jeronimo. Immigration checks confirmed that Nolasco-Mendez and Jeronimo-Jeronimo are citizens of Guatemala, unlawfully present in the United States. 25-8614MJ, 25-8613MJ Phoenix.
United States v. Edgar Valentin-Campos. Valentin-Campos was charged by complaint with Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit on Dec. 22, 2025. As charged in the complaint, agents observed Valentin's vehicle parked along the side of a rural road next to a wash near Sells, Arizona. The location is commonly used for drivers to pick up illegal aliens for further transport into the United States. After agents turned around to investigate further, the vehicle then began traveling northbound on Federal Route 19. When agents initiated a vehicle stop, the vehicle failed to yield. As agents followed, the vehicle slowed down, almost coming to a stop, and four subjects exited the vehicle and ran into the desert. The vehicle then ran a stop sign at a high rate of speed, and ultimately, crashed into a ditch outside of Sells. The driver, Valentin-Campos, and two illegal aliens from Guatemala, were arrested. 25-MJ-12339-MSA, Tucson.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-181_December 30 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.District of Arizona Charges over 10,000 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct Since January 20, 2025Read the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the weeks of enforcement operations from January 20, 2025, through December 26, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against more than 10,140 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 5,128 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 4,260 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 638 cases against 734 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged 17 defendants for assaults on federal officers related to immigration enforcement during this period.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“President Trump promised to secure our border, and the District of Arizona has delivered,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Thanks to the leadership of the President and Attorney General Bondi, law enforcement and federal prosecutors have been empowered to uphold the laws they swore to protect, including immigration laws. Through increased presence, a 97% prosecution rate, and commitments to real criminal penalties, fewer people are crossing the border illegally so fewer traffickers can exploit them. The District of Arizona has proven that the dedicated men and women of the DOJ will go as far as they must to secure our homeland.”
Since March 7th, the District of Arizona has released its weekly immigration prosecution numbers here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr. Please continue to follow our progress in strengthening our Border and upholding the Rule of Law.
These cases were part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-180_10,000 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.District of Arizona Charges over 1,100 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct during the Government ShutdownRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the weeks of enforcement operations from September 27, 2025, through November 7, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 1,196 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 697 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 411 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 78 cases against 85 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged 3 defendants for assaulting a Border Patrol agent during this period.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Matters of interest during this shutdown period include:
United States v. Carlos Moreno-Contreras: On Sept. 28, 2025, Moreno-Contreras was arrested and charged with transporting illegal aliens for profit. Around 10:30 p.m. that night, Border Patrol agents initiated a stop of Moreno-Contreras' truck based on suspicion of alien smuggling. Moreno-Contreras failed to yield for several miles. Ultimately, Border Patrol deployed a vehicle immobilization device, which punctured two of his tires. As the tires were deflating and falling apart, Moreno-Contreras drove another five miles before coming to a stop. Agents took Moreno-Contreras and two illegal aliens he was transporting into custody. 25-MJ-3178.
United States v. Fermin Abel Verdugo-Poqui: On Oct. 9, 2025, Verdugo-Poqui, was charged by complaint with Bringing an Alien into the United States Unlawfully in violation of 8 USC 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii). The day prior, a Border Patrol Agent driving a fully marked Border Patrol vehicle observed one person standing in the median of Interstate I-8 waving at traffic in a remote area of the Wellton Area of Operations. The BPA approached and observed a second person hiding in nearby bush. The BPA determined both individuals were citizens of Mexico without lawful authority to be in the United States. Verdugo-Poqui was determined to be the foot guide who led four illegal aliens from Mexico through the desert and into the United States on or about October 3, 2025, expecting $1,000 per illegal alien successfully crossed into the United States. 25-MJ-02011.
United States v. Placida Ignacio: On Oct. 14, 2025, Ignacio was charged with transporting illegal aliens for profit. Border Patrol agents observed a truck travel down to the border in a remote area outside the village of Cowlic on the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation and then, shortly after, turnaround and travel out of the area. Agents followed and determined the truck was stolen. When law enforcement interacted with the driver at a gas station, they discovered 4 illegal aliens in the truck. Ignacio was previously convicted for transporting illegal aliens resulting in death and was sentenced to 96 months in custody in CR-08-00957-JGZ-MSA. 25-MJ-12144-JEM.
United States v. Edgar Loya-Loya: On Oct. 20, 2025, Loya-Loya was charged by complaint with Bringing Aliens to the United States for Profit, Aiding and Assisting Certain Aliens to Enter the United States, and Illegal Reentry of a Removed Alien. Border Patrol agents apprehended Loya-Loya, a citizen of Mexico, and six other aliens near Dateland, Arizona on October 16, 2025. Agents determined Loya-Loya guided the group through the desert after crossing through a breach in the border fence. One of the individuals he guided, Jesus Saul Quintero, was previously convicted of an aggravated felony and is inadmissible to the United States. Loya-Loya had also been removed previously in June 2024. 25-2032MJ.
United States v. Aldrick De La Torre-Jupamea: On Oct. 29, 2025, De La Torre-Jupamea was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. De La Torre-Jupamea was pulled over by a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputy for suspected violations of Arizona law. The deputy observed two males sitting in the rear passenger seat. The deputy escorted the driver to the deputy’s patrol vehicle. The two passengers fled the vehicle on foot. The deputy apprehended one of them, but the other was not located. The deputy suspected a human smuggling event and contacted U.S. Border Patrol for assistance. Border Patrol Agents responded to the scene to conduct an immigration inspection. De La Torre-Jupamea was determined to be a United States citizen. De La Torre-Jupamea was on federal supervised release for Attempted Smuggling of Goods from the United States, a felony, at the time of his arrest. The passenger that was apprehended was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. 25-MJ-08524.
United States v. Bryan Efrain Aleman: On November 6, 2025, Aleman was charged with transportation of illegal aliens for profit. When Border Patrol attempted to stop Aleman’s Chevrolet Silverado, he pulled over briefly before abruptly fleeing. He then drove erratically, swerving into oncoming traffic, and, ultimately, breaking through a fence on the side of the road before coming to a stop in a cloud of dust. Aleman and the other subjects in the truck ran from it. Agents were able to apprehend four illegal aliens from the truck and Aleman, who was later determined to being the driver. 25-MJ-06995-MSA.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-179_Shut-down Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.District of Arizona Charges 160 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Dec. 13 through Dec.19, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 160 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 95 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 55 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 9 cases against 10 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Marina Elizabeth Hernandez-Ardon: On Dec. 17, 2025, Hernandez-Ardon was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. According to the complaint, a Border Patrol agent requested a records check of a vehicle traveling on I-8 Eastbound, which confirmed the vehicle’s driver, Hernandez-Ardon, had an expired Employment Authorization Card. Driving alongside the vehicle, Border Patrol agents observed what appeared to be an individual in the rear passenger seat attempting to conceal themselves under a blanket. Agents initiated a traffic stop and observed Hernandez-Ardon in the driver’s seat and two individuals lying down on the floorboard of the rear passenger compartment under a blanket. The two passengers, citizens of Mexico, were found to have entered the United States without legal authorization. Hernandez-Ardon is a citizen of El Salvador. 25-02201MJ.
United States v. Jose Armando Talamantes-Magallanes: On Dec. 15, 2025, Talamantes-Magallanes was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. According to the complaint, Border Patrol agents noticed a breach in the border fence about a half of a mile west of Border Monument 177 and five sets of footprints walking northbound. The agents followed the footprints and located Talamantes-Magallanes and five other individuals concealed in the bushes and dressed in camouflage and carpeted shoes to conceal their footprints. Agents determined the defendant was transporting the five individuals into the United States, and immigration checks confirmed that Talamantes-Magallanes and the five other individuals are citizens of Mexico, all unlawfully present in the United States. 25-02183MJ.
United States v. Frances Walker and Yael Rosales. On Dec. 16, 2025, Walker and Rosales were charged by complaint with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens. As charged in the complaint, Border Patrol agents initially tried to stop a red Honda Civic on suspicion of alien smuggling as it traveled north on Federal Route 19 on the Tohono O'odham Nation. The driver, Rosales, failed to yield then briefly stopped and two individuals, later determined to be illegal aliens, ran from the Civic. Rosales again failed to yield and was eventually stopped by local law enforcement. After departing the first vehicle, the aliens were picked up by a second vehicle, driven by Walker. That vehicle was stopped at the State Route 86 Border Patrol Checkpoint, and Walker and the aliens were taken into custody. 25-MJ-13128-MSA.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-178_December 19 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Mesa Woman Convicted of Embezzling Money from a Mesa BankRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Brooke McDonough, 35, of Mesa, Arizona, was convicted by a jury on Thursday, December 11, 2025, after a two-week trial, of one count of embezzlement by bank employee, six counts of transactional money laundering, and five counts of structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements. McDonough served as the branch manager for a bank in Mesa between 2020 and early 2022.
The evidence at trial revealed that, starting in June 2021, McDonough stole cash from the ATM machines and vault inside the branch she managed. She then deposited most of the cash she stole into her personal bank accounts, using different ATMs at multiple bank branches. In total, between June 2021 and February 2022, McDonough embezzled $655,000 from the branch she managed and deposited or spent approximately $645,000 in cash during the same time period. McDonough broke down her ATM cash deposits into smaller amounts to avoid having the banks file Currency Transaction Reports for deposits of over $10,000 in cash.
“Significant trust is placed in business leaders in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “When those individuals take advantage of their leadership position to embezzle large amounts of money from the business they were entrusted to lead, our Office will hold them accountable.”
"FDIC OIG is laser focused on working with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to protect the Nation’s financial system,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner. “The guilty verdict in this case should serve as a stern warning to others who are considering stealing from FDIC insured and/or regulated financial institutions to line their own pockets.”
“We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and all of those involved for their outstanding cooperation and dedication throughout this investigation. Their professionalism and commitment were instrumental in achieving this outcome,” said Spokesperson for Mesa Police Department, Detective J. Macias.
This case was investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General and Mesa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aron Ketchel and Adriana Genco, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-376-ROS
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-177_McDonough# # #
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.
Wound Graft Company Owners Sentenced for $1.2B Health Care Fraud and Agree to Pay $309M to Resolve Civil Liability Under the False Claims ActRead the Press Release
In the first prosecution of its kind, the owners of several Arizona wound graft companies were sentenced to significant terms of incarceration for causing over $1.2 billion of false and fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare and other health insurance programs for medically unnecessary wound grafts that were ordered as a result of illegal kickbacks and applied to elderly and terminally ill patients. On Oct.7 Alexandra Gehrke was sentenced to 15.5 years in prison, and on Oct. 10 her husband, Jeffrey King, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
According to court documents, Gehrke, 39, and King, 46, both of Phoenix, orchestrated a large-scale wound-care scheme from 2022 through 2024. Gehrke solely owned and operated two companies that contracted with medically untrained “sales representatives” to find elderly Medicare beneficiaries throughout Arizona with wounds of any kind. Once the sales representatives identified these patients, many of whom were in hospice care, Gehrke directed the sales representatives to order expensive bioengineered skin substitutes — amniotic membrane allografts made from human placental tissue — to be placed on the wounds. To maximize profits, Gehrke required the sales representatives to order only the largest sizes of grafts available, even if the sizes of grafts — or the use of grafts as treatment — were not medically appropriate or reasonable.
Gehrke referred the patients identified by the sales representatives first to a company she owned, and later in the scheme to a company co-owned by King. Both of these companies were enrolled as Medicare providers and could submit claims to Medicare. Through these companies, Gehrke and King purchased the grafts from a wholesale graft distributor. They also contracted with nurse practitioners to apply the grafts and billed Medicare and other health insurers for the grafts applied. Gehrke and King instructed the nurse practitioners to suspend their medical judgment and apply whatever quantities and sizes of grafts were ordered by the medically untrained sales representatives, regardless of medical necessity.
Gehrke, through the three companies she owned, received over $279 million in illegal kickbacks from the wholesale graft distributor in exchange for ordering its grafts, over $100 million of which she diverted to her personal accounts and tens of millions of which she used to pay illegal kickbacks to the sales representatives. The company co-owned by King received an additional $130 million in illegal kickbacks from the same graft distributor.
The financial incentive for the sales representatives to order large numbers and sizes of allografts, combined with Gehrke and King’s requirement that nurse practitioners apply all grafts ordered, resulted in large grafts applied to small wounds, several grafts applied to single wounds, grafts applied to non-existent wounds and grafts applied to terminally ill patients receiving palliative care, some of whom died within days or the same day of the allograft application.
Over the course of just 18 months, from November 2022 through May 2024, Gehrke, King and their co-conspirators submitted approximately $1,212,005,778 in false and fraudulent claims to health insurance programs, including over $960 million to the federal health care programs Medicare, TRICARE (the health care program for U.S. service members and their families) and CHAMPVA (the health care program for spouses and children of permanently disabled veterans). The federal and commercial health care programs collectively paid $614,945,420 based on these claims.
The government seized substantial assets that Gehrke and King accumulated from the scheme, including $97 million from 28 bank accounts at seven financial institutions; three life insurance annuities exceeding $21 million; four luxury vehicles — a Ferrari 488 Spider convertible, a Mercedes-Benz AMG Roadster, a Mercedes-Benz 4x4 Squared G-Wagon and a Mercedes-Benz GLE — collectively purchased for over $988,000; $367,150 in cash recovered from Gehrke and King’s home and safe deposit boxes and over $348,000 worth of gold and silver bars and coins.
Gehrke and King pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud on Oct. 24, 2024, and Jan. 31, 2025, respectively. In addition to the terms of incarceration, Gehrke and King were ordered to pay restitution and to forfeit fraudulent proceeds obtained personally and through companies they owned and controlled. Gehrke was ordered to pay $614,945,420 in restitution and to forfeit $279,912,916 in fraudulent proceeds, and King was ordered to pay $605,690,110 in restitution and to forfeit $130,813,658 in fraudulent proceeds.
In addition to the criminal case, Gehrke and the wound graft marketing company she owned, Apex Medical LLC, agreed to pay $279,912,916, and King agreed to pay $30 million, related to their respective civil liability under the False Claims Act, resolving allegations that they knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare and other federal health care programs for medically unnecessary wound allografts, received illegal kickbacks from a wholesale wound allograft distributor in exchange for orders, purchases, and referrals and paid illegal kickbacks to other parties.
The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering or paying anything of value to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare and other federally funded programs. The statute is intended to ensure that the judgment of medical providers is not compromised by improper financial incentives.
The False Claims Act allegations resolved by the civil settlements were originally brought by whistleblowers under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private parties to bring suit on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. The matters remain under seal while the investigation of other parties continues. The amount of the whistleblower shares of the settlements has not yet been determined.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the criminal case. The civil resolutions were the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, with assistance from HHS-OIG.
Trial Attorney Shane Butland of the National Rapid Response Strike Force of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Williams for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Bozdech for the District of Arizona is handling asset forfeiture. The civil False Claims Act investigation was handled by Trial Attorney Vanessa Reed of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lon Leavitt for the District of Arizona.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Tsaile Man Sentenced to 13 Years for Voluntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Kevin Darren Blackhorse, 37, of Tsaile, Arizona, was sentenced on December 8, 2025, by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 13 years of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Blackhorse previously pleaded guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter.
On January 8, 2024, while engaged in a physical fight with the victim, Blackhorse stabbed the victim in the chest and back multiple times resulting in his death. Blackhorse and the victim are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation.
Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations and the FBI Phoenix division’s Gallup office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kiyoko Patterson, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-01247-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-175_Blackhorse# # #
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.Mexican National Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for Role in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Daniel Roberto Auz-Vasquez, 28, of Imuris, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on December 5, 2025, by Chief United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Auz-Vasquez was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
As part of this conspiracy, on July 1, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona, Auz-Vasquez and his co-conspirators possessed approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine, which they intended to deliver to another individual that evening.
This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. This HSTF Tucson led investigation comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) with the prosecution being led by Assistant United States Attorney David Petermann of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona-Tucson.
CASE NUMBER: CR24-5415-JGZ-1
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-174_Auz-Vasquez# # #
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.
District of Arizona Charges 173 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from December 6, 2025, through December 12, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 173 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 93 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 73 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 7 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Mario Alberto Herrera Jr: On December 11, 2025, Mario Alberto Herrera Jr. was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. An AZ DPS trooper observed Herrera driving on I-10 Westbound. The trooper conducted a vehicle registration check, which confirmed that the car’s registration was suspended, and the trooper initiated a traffic stop. The trooper observed Herrera in the driver’s seat and two passengers in the backseat of the car. Agents determined Herrera was paid to transport his two passengers to Phoenix, and that he was on probation for a prior, separate conviction for Transportation of an Illegal Alien in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. Immigration checks confirmed that the two passengers in the car are citizens of Guatemala, unlawfully present in the United States. Case number: 25-3484MJ
United States v. Miguel Hernandez-Cortez: On December 8, 2025, Miguel Hernandez-Cortez was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien. Hernandez-Cortez was previously removed from the United States in March 2015 after being convicted of Aggravated Sexual Assault, a felony, in the 287th Judicial District Court, Bailey County, Texas. In that case, Hernandez-Cortez was sentenced to five months of imprisonment. Case number 25-3466MJ
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-176_December 12 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.18 Members of a Yuma-Based Alien Smuggling Ring Sentenced for Conspiring to Harbor and Transport Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On November 21, 2025, United States District Judge, Krissa M. Lanham, District of Arizona, sentenced the eighteenth and final defendant in a joint operation investigated by United States Border Patrol along with the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona.
United States Border Patrol became aware of an alien smuggling organization known as La Mesa after connecting transportation of illegal alien cases in the District of Arizona and the Central and Southern Districts of California. Prior to the arrest of the eighteen members in September 2024, La Mesa, who worked on behalf of the Mexico-based transnational criminal organization Los Rusos, operated out of Yuma and Somerton, Arizona.
Members of La Mesa were responsible for smuggling, or attempting to smuggle, hundreds of illegal aliens across the United States-Mexico border and further into the United States. Carlos Moreno-Serrano led the organization directing the team of managers who were responsible for coordinating smuggling events, procuring stash houses, distributing money, and enforcement. The managers oversaw the drivers transporting the illegal aliens, stash house staff, and scouting.
From 2022 through September of 2024, members of La Mesa used violence and threats of violence to control members of their organization, including kidnapping, robbing and extorting alien smugglers who had worked for their organization.
In January 2023, Saul Ponce Jr. (Ponce), Crystobal Figueroa (Figueroa), Angel Rodriguez (Rodriguez), Antonio Aparicio III (Aparicio), and Joshua Leon-Fuentes (Leon-Fuentes) kidnapped a man and took him into the desert. The kidnapping was filmed by Figueroa and the film shows Figueroa handing a firearm with an extended cylindrical magazine to Leon-Fuentes. Leon-Fuentes then points the firearm to the back of the man’s head while others tell him not to kill him because it is too close to the highway. Figueroa is then seen kicking the man in the back of the head.
During a separate kidnapping event in mid-2023, Leon-Fuentes, Aparicio, and Rodriguez drove to the house of a woman who had been caught alien smuggling by Border Patrol. They demanded the woman pay $20,000 for her failure to deliver the illegal aliens, though the woman could only provide the organization $10,000. Because she cost La Mesa money and had not fully repaid them for their losses, members of La Mesa were instructed to take her to Mexico to be punished. During the kidnapping, Leon-Fuentes put the barrel of a shot gun to her abdomen and told her if she tried anything it would not be pretty. Yuma Police Department arrived and thwarted the kidnapping. The woman informed Officers that Leon-Fuentes and the others told her once she was brought back to Mexico, she would be married off, tortured, or killed.
During the conspiracy, multiple defendants fled at a high rate of speed from law enforcement, and several illegal aliens sustained severe injuries while being transported. On several occasions, La Mesa also used juvenile drivers to transport illegal aliens. One juvenile driver, while fleeing Border Patrol, crashed a work van into a water canal with 24 illegal aliens inside, including a minor child and a pregnant woman.
“The facts of the criminal conduct here involving violence, kidnapping, firearms, and severe injury show why La Mesa or similar organizations engaging in harboring and transporting illegal aliens are so dangerous to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “The excellent efforts of our Border Patrol, and other law enforcement partners, are keeping Americans safe every day and we thank them for their hard work leading to the exceptional results in this case.”
The defendants were charged via Indictment or Superseding Indictment in November 2023 and September 2024 with Conspiring to Harbor and/or Transport Illegal Aliens. Judge Krissa M. Lanham sentenced the defendants to the following sentences:
- Victor Eduardo Araiza-Ponce, 24, of Yuma was sentenced to Time Served; plus 3 years of supervised release
- Antonio Aparicio III, 24, of Somerton was sentenced to 68 months’ imprisonment
- Alonzo Esparza, 27, of Yuma was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment
- Carlos Moreno-Serrano, 24, of Yuma was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment
- Xasiel Noriega-Gonzalez, 21, of Somerton was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment
- Joshua Guillermo Leon-Fuentes, 21, of Somerton was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment
- Angel Rodriguez, 23, of Yuma was sentenced to 54 months’ imprisonment
- Crystobal Figueroa, 23, of Somerton was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment
- Saul Ponce Jr., 23, of San Luis was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment
- David Leon-Pallanes, 23, of Yuma was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release
- Manuel Uriel Alvarado, 26, of Yuma was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment
- Elian Lopez, 24, of Yuma was sentenced to 12 months’ probation
- Raymundo Delgado-Diaz, 35, of Yuma was sentenced to 3 years probation
- Isreal Zeveda, 23, of Salinas, California was sentenced to 12 months’ probation
- Francisco Javier Esparza-Macias, 21, of Somerton was sentenced to 12 months of supervised release
- Alex Chiquete, 25, of Yuma was sentenced to 24 months’ probation
- Hector Eduardo-Valdez, 31, of Yuma was sentenced to 18 months’ probation
- Jose Gabriel Marquez-Mendiola, 32, of Yuma was sentenced to 18 months’ probation
"The sentencing of the La Mesa smuggling organization members is a testament to the relentless pursuit of the rule of law and the cooperative efforts between the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Attorney's Office. Bringing these smugglers to justice serves as a clear warning: the U.S. Government will hold individuals accountable for their criminal actions,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Caudle. “I am extremely proud of our agents and their dedication to our mission, which ensures the safety of our communities and our great Nation."
Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol–Yuma Field Intelligence, El Centro Border Patrol and Indio Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Arellano Edwards and Stuart J. Zander, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-01676-PHX-KML
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-173_Araiza-Ponce et al.# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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Tucson Man Indicted for Unauthorized Excavation and Trafficking of Archeological Resources from the Gila River Indian CommunityRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On December 3, 2025, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned a two-count indictment against Leo Reynoso, 46, of Tucson, Arizona, for violations of the Archeological Resources Protection Act.
The indictment alleges that Reynoso excavated, removed, or damaged archeological resources, without authorization, that were located on the Gila River Indian Community, a federally recognized Indian tribe. Reynoso excavated and removed numerous artifacts from known archeological sites located on tribal land. The items included Indian Trader tokens, coins, buttons, crucifixes, jewelry, and other items. The indictment also alleges that Reynoso trafficked archeological resources by selling some of the items that were excavated without a permit. An archeological damage assessment estimated the commercial value of the artifacts to be approximately $5,700; the archeological value to be approximately $29,000; and the cost of restoration and repair of the sites to be approximately $23,000.
A conviction for each count of Unauthorized Excavation of Archeological Resources and Trafficking in Archeological Resources carries a maximum penalty two years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine.
The United States Forest Service and the Gila River Indian Community Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: 25-CR-05253-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-172_Reynoso
# # #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 Nine Years for Fentanyl Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Dominik Israel Lopez, 24, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced on November 24, 2025, by United States District Judge Krissa Lanham to 108 months of prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Lopez pleaded guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl, with death resulting.
In March 2020, a man, was found deceased in his apartment in Gilbert, Arizona. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death to be fentanyl toxicity. Law enforcement investigators were able to learn that the victim had contacted Lopez using a messaging app called Whisper. The victim obtained four fentanyl pills from Lopez for $40. The victim used just one of those pills, overdosed, and died.“At the end of every drug overdose death are countless victims,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “There are the dead, taken too early, families who lose loved ones, and communities slowly being torn apart. This sentence shows that the Department of Justice will pursue harsh penalties for all drug dealers. I am proud to stand alongside the victim’s family and our law enforcement partners in holding this defendant accountable.”
“Drug traffickers who deal deadly drugs and destroy lives will face justice,” said DEA Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz. “The DEA, alongside our dedicated partners, remains steadfast in our mission to save lives and achieve a Fentanyl-Free America.”
“The Gilbert Police Department works in close partnership with law enforcement agencies in the ongoing fight against illegal drugs, including holding accountable those whose actions result in death through drug distribution,” said Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg. “We remain steadfast in our relentless pursuit of those who victimize our community.”
Fentanyl is a man-made opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, the small amount that fits on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. Fake pills laced with fentanyl are often sold on social media. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose and poisoning is the leading cause of death for Americans 18-45 years of age.
Legitimate pharmaceutical pills cannot be bought on social media. The only safe medications are ones prescribed directly to you by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. For additional information and resources, including a Caregivers Fact Sheet, visit DEA.gov/onepill.
United States Drug Enforcement Administration and The Gilbert Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Brandon Brown and Jason Crowley, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 24-CR-01093-PHX-KML
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-170_Lopez# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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District of Arizona Charges 242 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from November 29, 2025, through December 5, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought im-migration-related criminal charges against 242 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 111 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 118 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlaw-ful immigration, the United States filed 12 cases against 13 individuals responsible for smug-gling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immi-gration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Admin-istration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Dulce Haglaen Durazo-Torres: On December 4, 2025, Dulce Haglaen Durazo-Torres was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. An AZ DPS trooper observed Durazo-Torres driving slowly on I-10 Westbound. The trooper suspected the vehicle was attempting to avoid detection and ran a vehicle registration check. The check confirmed that the vehicle’s plates were suspended, and the trooper initiated a traffic stop. The trooper observed Durazo-Torres, one man in the passenger seat, and one man in the backseat of the car. The two passengers admitted to entering the United States without legal authorization, and Du-razo-Torres admitted to transporting the passengers into the United States. Immigration checks confirmed that Duraz-Torres and the two passengers are citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. Case Number: 25-MJ-08581-PHX-JZB
United States v. Edgar Eduardo Quiroz-Otero: On December 1, 2025, Edgar Eduardo Quiroz-Otero was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien. Quiroz-Otero was previously removed from the United States in July 2024 after being convicted of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, a felony, in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio. In that case, Quiroz-Otero was sentenced to 30 months of im-prisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Case Number: 25-MJ-08558-PHX-JZB
United States v. Joseph Tunon Esteban-Seanez: On December 1, 2025, Joseph Tunon Esteban-Seanez and Jesus Francisco Pena-Valenzuela, both Mexican citizens illegally present in the United States, were charged with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit. During a vehicle stop on suspicion of alien smuggling, agents requested the driver, Esteban, to put his Jeep in park. Instead, Esteban drove away. Agents pursued but ultimately terminated the pursuit because of the Jeep's speed. Agents then found the Jeep parked in front of a store and arrested Esteban inside the store and Pena with two other aliens some distance away from the store, hid-ing in the brush. Esteban and Pena had agreed to pick up and transport other aliens because they had been fired from their jobs and saw the opportunity to make money. Case Number: 25-MJ-01360-TUC-BGM
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-171_December 5 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
District of Arizona Charges 190 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from November 22, 2025, through November 28, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 190 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 106 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 71 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 11 cases against 13 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Miguel Angel Marcos: On November 24, 2025, Miguel Angel Marcos was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. Marcos was pulled over by a Yuma Police Department officer for traveling twenty miles per hour over the speed limit. After stopping the vehicle, the officer observed driver Marcos and one passenger in the front seat. The passenger claimed to have been walking in the desert before being picked up by Marcos. Immigration checks confirmed that the passenger is a citizen of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. Case number: 25-2138MJ
United States v. Jairo Manzur Rodriguez-Nieblas: On November 26, 2025, Jairo Manzur Rodriguez-Nieblas was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien and Reentry of a Removed Alien. Yuma County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from an individual stranded in the desert and notified Border Patrol. A Border Patrol Agent located the individual, who was wearing camouflage, in the desert. The individual did not have any documents that would allow him to be lawfully present in the United States. The following day, Border Patrol Agents located Rodriguez-Nieblas and another individual, both of whom were wearing camouflage, in the desert. Agents determined Rodriguez-Nieblas acted as a guide for the two other individuals apprehended by Border Patrol Agents to travel from Mexico into the United States. Immigration checks confirmed that Rodriguez-Nieblas and the individual he was found with are citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. Record checks confirmed that Rodriguez-Nieblas had been removed from the United States on a prior occasion. Case number 25-2143MJ
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-169_November 28 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Operation Not Forgotten Surged 64 FBI Personnel to 10 FBI Field Offices to Support Investigations of Indian Country Violent CrimesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department yesterday announced results from its six-month surge of FBI assets across the country to address violent crime in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing or murdered Indigenous persons.
The FBI sent 64 personnel, rotating in 30–90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period to support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI worked in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions. This operation was the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date.
“These dedicated efforts by FBI agents, together with the BIA and our tribal law enforcement partners, have solved crimes, protected victims of violence, and brought much needed safety and security to communities in Indian country,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will never forget the crime victims whose cases remain unsolved, and we will continue our pursuit until justice is served.”
“One of the biggest problems tribal communities face is the vast amount of land to account for, requiring significant resources to crush violent crime,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “As FBI Director, I’m committed to surging personnel to these areas and working hand-in-hand with Tribal partners. Operation Not Forgotten is a major step forward in giving these communities the justice that they deserve.”
FBI personnel were assisted by 36 personnel from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit (BIA MMU). Combined, those personnel provided investigative and intelligence support by assisting in over 330 investigations. BIA MMU also provided technical support and expertise through ground-penetrating radar, underwater cameras, and sonar searches. Operation Not Forgotten contributed to the success of the FBI’s Indian Country program. In FY25 alone, the FBI’s Indian Country initiatives accomplished the following: 1260 individuals charged, 1123 arrests, 304 weapons recovered, and 458 child victims identified or located.
“The United States Attorney’s Office in Arizona continues to bring the most cases related to crimes affecting tribal members in the country” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “The national surge in resources brought much needed assets to tribal communities in a number of the twenty-two Indian reservations located throughout the state. Thanks to the continued work of our tribal, FBI, and BIA partners, Assistant United States Attorneys in our office will continue to bring justice for crime victims and their communities.”
“Agents assigned to Indian Country offices have significant caseloads and most of those cases include extremely violent crimes,” said FBI Phoenix Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Schaeffer. “The surge of resources here in Arizona thanks to Operation Not Forgotten provided our agents some additional help to move cases along quicker and served as a force multiplier with the primary goal of helping victims and ensuring that justice is served.”
In a sustained commitment to justice and public safety in tribal communities, the Arizona United States Attorneys’ Office united with the FBI during the six-month surge in Operation Not Forgotten. During the operation in Arizona, FBI personnel were assigned temporary duties at field offices in some of the most remote tribal communities throughout the state. Together, FBI agents and federal prosecutors addressed urgent law enforcement challenges, particularly crimes against women and children, crimes committed by juveniles, and missing or murdered Indigenous people in Indian Country. Additionally, agents and prosecutors worked closely with tribal law enforcement, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other community partners.
During the 2025 surge (from April 1st – September 30th), the United States Attorneys’ Office in the District of Arizona opened approximately 154 Indian Country-Violent Crime investigations, and obtained more than 73 indictments and complaints combined. Overall, Operation Not Forgotten contributed to removing violent criminals from tribal communities throughout Arizona.
Some of those defendants charged or convicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona include the following:
Kevin Ronnie Tungovia, 47, was arrested and charged with sexual abuse of a minor and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Tungovia is alleged to have provided methamphetamine to the minor during the timeframe he engaged in sexual acts with her. A federal search warrant was executed on Tungovia’s residence where agents located baggies, scales, and a pipe with residue. Tungovia and will remain in custody pending trial. (FBI Tucson/USAO District of Arizona)
Richard Alex Buitimea, 35, was sentenced to 10 years in prison following a conviction for one count of Possession of Child Pornography. According to evidence presented during trial, authorities were alerted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a Google Drive account belonging to Buitimea contained possible child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Acting on this tip, agents with the FBI obtained a search warrant for Buitimea’s account and discovered over 1,000 images and 21 videos of CSAM. (FBI Tucson/USAO District of Arizona)
Indian Country faces persistent levels of violent crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 760 cases in the past three years. Combined, these operations resulted in 249 arrests, 235 subjects charged, 109 subjects convicted, and services were provided to nearly 2,000 victims and victim family members.
Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and community coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-168_Operation_Not_Forgotten
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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.Arizona Man Sentenced to More than Seven Years for Defrauding 54 Victims in Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Anthonie Ruinard, Jr., 40, of Chandler, was sentenced on November 17, 2025, by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 87 months in custody followed by three years of supervised release. Ruinard previously pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud. Ruinard was also ordered to pay $4,508,057 in restitution to the victims in this case.
“Fraudsters actively prey on communities to steal hard earned money by using trust and false promises for their own greed and benefit” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “This sentence demonstrates that not only will scammers be held accountable financially, they will also face significant time in jail. The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute these crimes in order to protect the honest work of those who build their lives here in Arizona.”
Anthonie Ruinard scammed 54 victims out of more than $5.6 million through an investment fraud scheme under the guise of a business called Legacy Investors Group Inc. Ruinard falsely portrayed himself as a successful investor and promised victim-investors guaranteed rates of return through investments in venture capital, private equity, and real estate. While some of the early victim-investors received some initial payments to perpetuate the fraud, others lost their entire investment. Throughout the scheme, Ruinard and his associates made excuses as to why the victim-investors were not receiving their payments, including “wire problems,” an unprecedented market, and the war in Ukraine. He also sent an email to victim-investors with a screen shot falsely representing that he controlled an account with a balance of over $470 million.
Ruinard largely spent the victims’ money himself, including on luxury vehicles (for example, the purchase of an armored vehicle for $344,000), general living expenses, casino gambling, credit card payments, and rental expenses.
“This sentencing sends a clear and unmistakable message: individuals who engage in financial fraud for personal gain will be held accountable,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge, Heith Janke. “The FBI, together with our law enforcements partners, will continue to identify, investigate and pursue those who orchestrate criminal schemes for their own profit. We remain committed to protecting the public and safeguarding the integrity of our financial system.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation – Phoenix Division conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-01904-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-167_Ruinard# # #
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.District of Arizona Charges 174 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from November 15, 2025, through November 21, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 174 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 102 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 52 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 17 cases against 19 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a Border Patrol agent.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Juan Francisco Gutierrez: On November 17, 2025, Juan Francisco Gutierrez was charged by complaint with Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit. Gutierrez was observed driving a Chevrolet Suburban on a remote road approximately one mile north of the border. When agents attempted a vehicle stop on Gutierrez's vehicle, he fled from agents for 20 miles before agents used a vehicle immobilization device to stop his Suburban. When the Suburban came to a stop, multiple subjects fled from the vehicle. In total, nine aliens from the Suburban were apprehended. Gutierrez is a citizen of El Salvador and was in the United States with a temporary work visa. Case Number: 25-MJ-03294-TUC-MAA
United States v. John Michael Sparks: On November 14, 2025, John Michael Sparks was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. Sparks drove to the Ajo Border Patrol Checkpoint on State Route 85, where he encountered a Border Patrol Agent conducting inspections. The Border Patrol Agent observed Sparks and one front-seat passenger who was wearing camouflage. Upon request, Sparks provided an Arizona driver’s license, and the passenger provided a Mexican voter registration card. The Border Patrol Agent suspected a human smuggling event and referred Sparks to secondary inspection. At the secondary inspection, immigration checks confirmed that the passenger is a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Case Number: 25-MJ-06479-PHX-ASB
United States v. Eliver Gonzalez-Gomez: On November 20, 2025, Eliver Enrique Gonzalez-Gomez was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. Homeland Security Investigations agents observed Gonzalez-Gomez driving a vehicle that appeared weighed down on Interstate Highway 17 Northbound. Agents suspected the vehicle was involved in human smuggling and initiated a vehicle stop. Gonzalez-Gomez first attempted to flee in the car and then later attempted to flee on foot into active highway traffic before he was ultimately apprehended. After apprehending Gonzalez-Gomez, agents removed ten passengers, including two unaccompanied minors, from the vehicle. None of the passengers were wearing seatbelts. Immigration checks confirmed that Gonzalez-Gomez and eight of the passengers are citizens of Mexico and two of the passengers are citizens of Guatemala, all unlawfully present in the United States. Case Number: 25-MJ-05525-PHX-DMF
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-166_November 21 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Dilkon Defendants Charged with the Murders of Three Victims and Shooting Others in Teesto, ArizonaRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On September 30, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 23-count superseding indictment against Ryan Adelbert Johnson, Alexandra Johnson, Charles Lyle Truax, Mike Duffy, III, and Sherry Duffy all of Dilkon, Arizona for crimes related to a shooting and tampering case that occurred in March, 2022, in Teesto on the Navajo Nation, resulting in the deaths of three victims and the injury of others.
Charges against Ryan Adelbert Johnson, Alexandra Johnson, Charles Lyle Truax, and Mike Duffy, III include First Degree Murder, Kidnapping Resulting in Death, Felony Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Robbery, and Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. Mike Duffy, III, Alexandra Johnson, Charles Lyle Truax, and Sherry Duffy were also charged with offenses relating to Tampering with an Official Proceeding and/or False Statement to a Government Agency.
Convictions for First Degree Murder and Kidnapping Resulting in Death carry mandatory life sentences.
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 FBI Phoenix office in Flagstaff conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-25-08032-PCT-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-165_Johnson
Arizona CEO Sentenced to 14 years in Prison for Embezzling $33-Million Dollars from Tribal Healthcare ProviderRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Kevin Lamorris McKenzie, 49, of Tucson, was sentenced on October 16, 2025, by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 14 years in prison, to be served concurrently with an additional 5-year prison sentence. McKenzie previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Embezzlement from an Indian Tribal Organization.
From 2015 through 2023, McKenzie, first as Chief Operating Officer and then as CEO of Apache Behavioral Health Services (ABHS), engaged in a scheme to defraud millions of dollars from ABHS and the White Mountain Apache Tribe. McKenzie used two contracts as a front to funnel money from ABHS to himself. Under the first contract, ABHS paid over $35 million to Helping Everyday Youth (HEDY). Thereafter, based on a secret agreement with McKenzie, HEDY funneled approximately $16 million in fraudulent proceeds to a shell company McKenzie controlled. McKenzie concealed this backdoor financial arrangement from ABHS. McKenzie conducted significant efforts to hide his scheme through financial transactions conducted through his shell company. He also attempted to corruptly persuade a witness to lie to investigators.
From 2018 through 2023, McKenzie, also as CEO for ABHS, entered phony referral contracts with his co-defendant Corina Martinez. These contracts were used to fraudulently funnel ABHS money through Evolved Health Care Inc. (EHI), a company controlled by Martinez. Under the contracts, EHI would refer qualified employees to ABHS in exchange for compensation. However, EHI never referred any employees to ABHS. Using the phony agreements, McKenzie caused ABHS to pay approximately $16.5 million to EHI. Portions of the fraudulent proceeds were split amongst McKenzie and Martinez. Martinez gave McKenzie large sums of cash, paid $800,000 of his personal credit card bills, and purchased other luxury items: including a $128,000 Rolls Royce Ghost and a $928,000 home for McKenzie’s family. EHI did not perform any services for ABHS.
As part of his sentence, McKenzie was ordered to pay $33,155,701 in restitution to ABHS. He was also ordered to forfeit various real estate properties; 2013 Rolls Royce; 1966 Ford Galaxie; 2018 Land Rover Range Rover; 2018 Utility Trailer; a 2021 Cadillac Escalade and $55,000 in U.S. currency. McKenzie also agreed to apply over $364,447 that had been seized in a related case toward the restitution judgment.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office conducted the investigation in this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-02258-SHR-MAA
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-164_McKenzie# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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Sinaloa Cartel Senior Lieutenant Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Phoenix, Ariz. – Jose Guadalupe Tapia-Quintero, 54, of San Francisco de Tacuichamona, Sinaloa, Mexico pleaded guilty on November 17, 2025 for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine with Intent to Import into the United States and Conspiracy to Commit Concealment Money Laundering. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2, 2026, before United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi.
Jose Guadalupe Tapia-Quintero was a leader of a narcotics trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico commonly known to its members, associates, and the public as the “Sinaloa Cartel” beginning in December 2006 and continuing through March 2012. He admitted that he acted as a major coordinator - organizing the transportation and distribution of ton quantities of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, for importation from Mexico into the United States for the Sinaloa Cartel.
During this time, he was also involved in the concealment of the ownership of the proceeds stemming from the sale of methamphetamine and other drugs in the District of Arizona. He oversaw the collection of proceeds from the drug sales in the United States. After the drugs were sold, the proceeds were collected and stored in the organization’s stash houses in Arizona and elsewhere. A large portion of the drug proceeds were picked up by couriers working at his direction and transported back to Mexico, where they were eventually received by him and other members of the Sinaloa Cartel.
“This case is a great example of our partnership with DEA in targeting, prosecuting, and convicting the members of the Sinaloa Cartel operating deep within Mexico.” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.
“This investigation showcases the strength of our partnerships, working as one team,” said DEA Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz. “DEA will continue to target and arrest top cartel members in our relentless pursuit of justice.”
A conviction for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine with Intent to Import into the United States carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, a fine up to $10,000,000, or both, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Concealment Money Laundering carries a maximum penalty of a fine up to $500,000 or twice the amount of laundered funds, a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, or both, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-13-00179-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-163_Tapia-Quintero# # #
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 Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Drug Trafficking and Illegal Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Jason Felipe Gutierrez-Sandoval, 29, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 46 months prison to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. Gutierrez-Sandoval pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin, and possession of firearms by a prohibited person.
In 2023, Gutierrez-Sandoval, the owner and operator of a local Tucson restaurant, delivered over 4,600 fentanyl pills, weighing approximately 454.4 grams, to another person on behalf of a drug trafficking organization based in Mexico. Investigators later arrested Gutierrez-Sandoval and searched his home with a warrant. He had in his possession twelve small baggies containing a pinkish-colored form of cocaine known as Lavada (weighing approximately 10.35 grams) and over $660 in cash. In a safe in Gutierrez-Sandoval’s residence, agents found a collection of firearms, ammunition, and magazines, along with a half kilogram of heroin. Some of the firearms were loaded, and one of the magazines was a circular .22 caliber drum magazine with a 70-round capacity, also fully loaded. Gutierrez-Sandoval is prohibited by law from possessing firearms.
As part of his sentence, Gutierrez-Sandoval was ordered to pay a money judgment in the amount of $2,500, equivalent to the sum of money that he obtained during the fentanyl transaction in 2023. The firearms, ammunition, and magazines also were seized and forfeited.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Tucson Police Department, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, as members of the Counter Narcotics Alliance, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, in Tucson, Arizona, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Lizano, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 25-CR-01807-SHR-MAA
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-161_Gutierrez-Sandoval# # #
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.Pascua Yaqui Tribal Member Sentenced to 10 Years Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Richard Alex Buitimea, 35, a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, was sentenced last week by United States District Court Judge James A. Soto to 10 years in prison following a conviction for one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
According to evidence presented during trial, authorities were alerted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a Google Drive account belonging to Buitimea contained possible child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Acting on this tip, agents with the FBI obtained a search warrant for Buitimea’s account and discovered over 1,000 images and 21 videos of CSAM.
The FBI and the Pascua Yaqui Police Department executed a search warrant of Buitimea’s two residences located on the Pascua Yaqui Reservation. During searches of Buitimea’s residences, agents determined that the primary target smartphone of the investigation had been recently smashed, and factory reset, thereby preventing forensic review. Nevertheless, analysis of the Google Drive account established that Buitimea remained actively engaged with the account, which contained CSAM, throughout the period of the upload and retention of CSAM to the account.
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.Agents with the FBI’s Tucson Division partnered with the Pascua Yaqui Police Department in handling the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Tucson, handled the prosecution along with a Special Assistant United States Attorney from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.
CASE NUMBER: 23-CR-01973-JAS-JR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-162_Buitimea# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges over 180 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct in Arizona This WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from November 8, 2025, through November 14, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona has brought immigration-related criminal charges against 184 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 107 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 67 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 9 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a Border Patrol agent.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Martin Diego Ramirez-Granillo: On November 12, 2025, Martin Diego Ramirez-Granillo was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien and Reentry of Removed Alien. Ramirez-Granillo was pulled over by an Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper for suspected violations of Arizona law. During the encounter the trooper suspected a human smuggling event and contacted U.S. Border Patrol for assistance. Border Patrol Agents responded to the scene to conduct an immigration inspection. Ramirez-Granillo and the passenger were determined to be citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ramirez-Granillo was also determined to have previously been removed from the United States. Case No. 25-06444MJ
United States v. Anthony Shawn Hobbs: On November 13, 2025, Anthony Shawn Hobbs was charged with transportation of illegal aliens for profit. Hobbs was initially seen driving southbound on Interstate 19 as the only occupant of a Toyota Corolla. Shortly after, he was observed driving on State Route 82 with multiple visible occupants in the vehicle and the trunk was open and the lid was flapping. When Border Patrol agents stopped his sedan, he had four illegal aliens in the vehicle. Case No. 25-14313MJ
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: 25-06444MJ
25-14313MJRELEASE NUMBER: 2025-160_November 14 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Former Border Patrol Agent Sentenced to 6 ½ Years in Prison for Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Jorge J. Jimenez, 54, of Nogales, Arizona, was sentenced on October 30, 2025, by United States District Judge Rosemary Marquez to 78 months of custody, with a fine of $15,000, and a $100 Special Assessment. Jimenez was previously convicted by a jury of Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Wire Fraud.
“Law enforcement officers who aid cartels for their own profit betray their oaths and the United States” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “While this is the rare exception, border corruption allows dangerous drugs into the country and decreases public trust in the many outstanding men and women serving in law enforcement. This sentence demonstrates that anyone, regardless of authority, will be held accountable if they seek to profit from drug trafficking. I am proud of the District of Arizona and the many United States Border Patrol Agents who protect our southern border everyday.”
“U.S. Border Patrol officers take an oath to protect our Homeland Security. Today’s sentencing makes a clear statement that corruption within those ranks will be identified, and those individuals will be held accountable. We are grateful for the cooperation from our law enforcement partners,” said DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D.
"When an officer shrugs off his sworn oath and harms those they promised to protect, he betrays not only the people of his community, but those who also wear the badge," said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke. "The FBI remains committed to working with our partners and investigate such cases to protect the American people and preserve public trust in law enforcement.”
Jimenez was employed as a United States Border Patrol Agent since 2010. At trial, the government showed that, between June 2024 and early October 2024, Jimenez was assigned to the I-19 Checkpoint, and conspired with at least two individuals located in Mexico, to allow previously agreed-upon “load” vehicles to pass through his designated checkpoint lane without inspection. The individuals in Mexico handled arrangements and the receipt of payment, and Jimenez allowed the vehicles to pass through his assigned lane and provided information about activities at the checkpoint to his coordinators. Jimenez expected to be paid approximately $20,000, with the money exchanged in Mexico.
Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 4:24-cr-08599-RM-JR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-159_Jimenez# # #
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 Charged After Seizure of 36 Pounds of Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and 3 FirearmsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, John Avendano, 21, of Phoenix, Arizona, was charged by federal criminal complaint in Phoenix, Arizona with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
According to the complaint, on September 22, a Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Silverado and identified John Avendano as the driver. Inside the Silverado, investigators seized a firearm and approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine, which was hidden in a black trash bag in the truck.
Investigators subsequently searched Avendano’s residence and found over 5 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 250 grams of cocaine, and two additional firearms.
Possession with the Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The DEA’s East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-9417-PHX-ESW
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-157_Avendano# # #
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.Mexican National Arrested with Firearms and over 91 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, Jose Ismael Castro Leon, 47, a Mexican national living in the United States illegally, was charged by federal criminal complaint in Phoenix, Arizona with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl.
According to the complaint, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force learned that a drug transaction was scheduled to take place in a parking lot in Phoenix on September 22. Investigators established surveillance at the location and watched as the driver of a GMC Acadia, later identified as Castro Leon, showed another person the contents of a black duffle bag that he had stored in his trunk.
Investigators then approached and arrested Castro Leon, seizing approximately 56 pounds of methamphetamine from the duffle bag along with a firearm that they found in the center console of the Acadia.
In a later search of Castro Leon’s apartment, investigators seized over 34 more pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 1.14 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and a second firearm.
Possession with the Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
Possession with the Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The DEA’s Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-9413-PHX-ESW
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-158_Castro Leon# # #
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.Eleven Illegal Aliens Charged for Falsely Claiming to be United States Citizens and Document FraudRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Between September 10 and 22, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Marshals Service (USMS) arrested 11 illegal aliens charged by criminal complaint for Possession of Identification Document to Defraud the United States, Possession of Identification Document Produced Without Lawful Authority, and False Attestation for Employment Eligibility Verification, all felony offenses.
Each illegal alien who was charged possessed and used a counterfeit state identification card or driver’s license, as well as a counterfeit Social Security card, to obtain employment at a business in Arizona. The illegal aliens also falsely attested on Form I-9 to being United States citizens or to being otherwise authorized to work in the United States, when in fact none of them were United States citizens or authorized to work in the United States.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
HSI, District of Arizona, Phoenix Field Office, is conducting the investigation in these cases. The USMS in the District of Arizona and the USMS and HSI in the Western District of Tennessee assisted in the arrest of individuals involved in these cases. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBERS: 25-01879MJ, 25-01881MJ, 25-01882MJ, 25-01883MJ, 25-01884MJ, 25-01885MJ, 25-01886MJ,
25-01887MJ, 25-01888MJ, 25-05419MJ, 25- 08483MJRELEASE NUMBER: 2025-155_Illegal Alien Document Fraud
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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.District of Arizona Charges 181 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from September 20, 2025, through September 26, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 181 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 82 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 80 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 18 cases against 19 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Ignacio Villalobos-Lopez: On September 22, Ignacio Villalobos-Lopez, a citizen of Mexico who was illegally present in the United States after previously being removed, was contacted by law enforcement while transporting four illegal aliens. Law enforcement learned that Villalobos-Lopez had previously transported illegal aliens and that he expected to be paid $500.00 per person that he transported. Villalobos-Lopez was charged by criminal complaint for Illegal Entry and Transportation of an Illegal Alien. [Case Number: 25-MJ-9410]
United States v. Marco Villareal-Aguilar: On September 25, Marco Villareal-Aguilar, a citizen of Mexico who was illegally present in the United States, was charged with Bringing in an Illegal Alien for Profit. As alleged in the complaint, Border Patrol camera operators observed a group of approximately 10 subjects walking near the border on the Tohono O'odham Nation. Agents responded to the area and apprehended nine subjects dressed in camouflage who had carpet booties covering their shoes. All nine subjects were determined to be Mexican citizens, illegally present in the United States. Villareal-Aguilar was identified by members of the group as the foot guide who led them across the border and coordinated their movement with scouts using a cellphone and radio. [Case Number: 25-MJ-14135]
United States v. Nathan Vega: On September 25, Nathan Vega was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. As alleged in the complaint, Border Patrol agents observed Vega driving in a suspicious pattern on the Tohono O'odham Nation near the international border, making multiple U-turns and a brief stop. When agents tried to stop Vega to conduct an immigration inspection, he sped away, leading agents on a more than 30-mile car chase and reaching speeds of 115 miles per hour. Eventually, Vega stopped his vehicle and individuals in camouflage clothing fled from the vehicle. Five of those individuals were apprehended and determined to be Mexican citizens illegally present in the United States. [Case Number: 25-MJ-14134]
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-156_September 26 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Mexican Drug Trafficker Sentenced to over 15 Years for Conspiracy to Distribute 167 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jorge Anaya-Valencia, 48, of Guyamas, Sonora, Mexico, who was unlawfully living in Arizona, was sentenced on September 23, by United States District Judge Krissa M. Lanham to 180 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Anaya-Valencia’s co-defendants, all illegal aliens, were previously sentenced in this case. Jesus Manuel Soto Quihui was sentenced to 60 months in prison, and Diego Nunez-Aispuri and Ivan Manuel Higuera Torres both received sentences of 46 months.
According to court documents, in November 2023, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identified Anaya-Valencia as a member of a drug trafficking organization operating in Phoenix, Arizona. On January 23, 2024, while conducting surveillance on Anaya-Valencia, agents watched as Higuero Torres arrived in a red Ford F-150 pickup truck to meet with Anaya-Valencia. Anaya-Valencia initially inspected the back seat of the truck, and then Nunez-Aispuro loaded two plastic containers and one cardboard box out of the back seat of the Ford F-150 into the cargo area of a Chevrolet Tahoe, which Soto Quihui was driving.
After Nunez-Aispuro completed the transfer, all four defendants left in various vehicles, and were thereafter arrested by law enforcement. Agents searched the Chevrolet Tahoe and inside the plastic containers and cardboard box found and seized approximately 76 kilograms (167 pounds) of methamphetamine. Agents also seized two firearms: one inside the glove compartment of Anaya-Valencia’s vehicle, and a second in the waistband of Soto Quihui.
According to records, Anaya-Valencia has twelve prior removals from the United States and nine previous criminal immigration convictions. He also has a prior felony conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Possession of Dangerous Drugs for Sale. At the time he was arrested in this case, Anaya-Valencia was on supervised release, and he was sentenced to an additional 6 months in prison as part of the disposition in that case.
The DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart J. Zander and Travis L. Wheeler, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 24-CR-00255-01-PHX-KML; 19-CR-01081-PHX-KML
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-154_Anaya-Valencia, 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 18 Years in Prison for Robbery and ShootingRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Junn Alan Quinto Coleman, 35, of Phoenix, was sentenced on September 22, by United States District Judge Sharad H. Desai to 18 years in prison. Coleman previously pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery, a federal crime that prohibits actual or attempted robbery that affects interstate commerce, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
On January 2, 2024, Coleman and an accomplice robbed Phoenix Soles streetwear store on Central Avenue in Phoenix. During the robbery, Coleman pointed a firearm at those inside the store. He then pistol-whipped and shot one man in the shoulder. Coleman and his accomplice stole cash, merchandise, and jewelry during the crime. Investigators with the FBI and the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) identified Coleman from his facial tattoos.
“This case is a prime example of multiple agencies working together to curtail violent crime in our community,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “We are grateful for the work of the Phoenix Police Department, FBI, and Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry in quickly identifying the shooter and bringing him to justice.”
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. Attorney’s 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 Phoenix Police Department, FBI’s Phoenix Division, and the ADCRR conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Chapman, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-00484-PHX-SHD
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-152_Coleman# # #
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 Mexican Nationals Arrested for Conspiracy to Distribute 133.5 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On September 17, Mariano Gomez Padilla, 28, Eduardo Garcia Lopez, 21, and Abel Martinez Valenzuela, 25, all Mexican nationals living in Arizona, were charged by federal criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
According to the complaint, on September 17, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force agents established surveillance at an apartment complex in Glendale, Arizona, in anticipation of an expected methamphetamine drug purchase. From the complex, agents followed Gomez Padilla and Garcia Lopez as they drove in tandem to another location in Glendale.
During the drive, agents attempted to stop the suspects’ vehicles, but both drivers failed to yield. Instead, Garcia Lopez exited his vehicle and fled but was apprehended after a short foot pursuit. Gomez Padilla also failed to yield to law enforcement and instead rammed his vehicle into one of the agent’s cars as well as two other vehicles parked on the street, causing significant damage. Shortly thereafter, Gomez Padilla and Martinez Valenzuela, who was riding as a passenger in Gomez Padilla’s vehicle, were also apprehended after trying to flee on foot.
Agents searched the vehicles and seized approximately 61.75 pounds of methamphetamine from the car that Garcia Lopez had been driving. Agents also searched a nearby Ford F-250 associated with the investigation and seized an additional 71.75 pounds of methamphetamine, which was packed identically to the drugs found in Garcia Lopez’s car.
Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute 500 grams or More of Methamphetamine carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Drug Enforcement Administration Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA and the Mesa Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-8495-PHX-JZB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-153_Gomez Padilla, 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.District of Arizona Charges 274 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from September 13, 2025, through September 19, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 274 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 108 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 150 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 12 cases against 15 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement is a key part of border vigilance, and prosecutors also charged 1 individual for assaulting a federal officer.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Jessica Isabel Perez: On September 12, 2025, Jessica Isabel Perez crossed into the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry with two children. One of the children was Perez's 17-year-old daughter, who is a United States citizen, and the other was a six-year-old that Perez claimed to be her son. Perez presented a birth certificate for the six-year-old, which was inconsistent with the identity of the child she was presenting for entry. The child also appeared drowsy and could not keep his eyes open. At secondary inspection, agents observed that the child was struggling to walk and stumbling from side to side. Agents also located extra strength Tylenol PM inside the vehicle with two pills missing. Upon further investigation, agents learned that Perez had traveled to Mexico to pick up the child and bring him to the United States as a favor for someone. Perez was charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien, False Personation in Immigration Matters, and Aggravated Identity Theft. [Case Number: 25-MJ-01924]
United States v. Juan Raul Angulo-Angulo: On September 15, 2025, Juan Raul Angulo-Angulo, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Bring an Alien into the United States Unlawfully and two counts of Bringing an Alien to the United States Unlawfully. On September 12, Border Patrol agents observed three subjects walking northbound in the remote desert approximately 20 miles south of Tacna, Arizona. Agents responded to the area and found Angulo-Angulo, who was wearing camouflage clothing and had carpet booties over his shoes. Agents also located two additional individuals who were wearing camouflage clothing and hiding in the nearby brush. All three subjects were determined to be citizens of Mexico without lawful authority to be in the United States, and agents learned that Angulo-Angulo was serving as the foot guide for the group. [Case Number: 25-MJ-01919]
United States v. Edith Toledo, et al: On September 13, 2025, Edith Toledo, a citizen of the United States, crossed into the country through the San Luis Port of Entry with five passengers in her vehicle that she claimed to be her children and citizens of the United States. In support of this claim, Toledo provided five birth certificates and four Arizona identification cards. Three of the passengers were confirmed to be Toledo’s children and citizens of the United States, including two minors. However, the purported birth certificates for the remaining two passengers, Alfredo De La Cruz Gonzales and Reyna Lorenzo Chavez, were inconsistent with the people she was presenting for entry. At secondary, agents determined that De La Cruz and Chavez were citizens of Mexico without lawful authority to be in the United States. Agents also learned that De La Cruz coordinated with Toledo to smuggle himself and his wife, Chavez, from Mexico into the United States. Toledo and De La Cruz were charged with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien, False Personation in Immigration Matters, and Aggravated Identity Theft. Chavez was charged with False Personation in Immigration Matters and Aggravated Identity Theft. [Case Number: 25-MJ-01923]
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-151_September 19 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Tohono O’odham Man Indicted on Multiple Charges Involving Minor VictimRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned a 4-count indictment against Allman Rivas, 36, of Menagers Dam, located on the Tohono O’odham Nation, for Attempted Coercion and Enticement, Transfer of Obscene Material to Minors, and Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion, and Sexual Extortion.
Pursuant to the complaint and indictment filed in this case, between June 26, 2025, and July 19, 2025, Rivas sent multiple Facebook messages to a minor victim to entice her to go to his residence for sexual encounters. During this period, Rivas also sent the minor victim photographs of his genitals. At one point, Rivas offered to pay back a small loan to the minor victim if the minor victim engaged in oral sex. Finally, when the victim refused to engage in sexual acts with Rivas, Rivas threatened the minor victim to coerce them to engage in sexual contact or sexual intercourse. Rivas is an enrolled member of the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation.
A conviction for Attempted Coercion and Enticement carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison with a maximum term of life. A conviction for Transfer of Obscene Material to Minors carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison, and a conviction for Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison with a maximum term of life. Finally, a conviction for Sexual Extortion carries a term of imprisonment of between 5 and 15 years. Each conviction also carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
“Protecting our youth from sexual offenders is one of the highest priorities of this office,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “These crimes are among the most serious we prosecute because they target the most vulnerable members of our community. Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who attempt to exploit children.”
"Safeguarding all children from violence, coercion and exploitation is a top priority for the FBI," said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke. "The FBI will continue to work with our federal, state, local, tribal, and law enforcement partners to identify, prioritize and investigate anyone who seeks to harm the most vulnerable among us."
The Tohono O’odham Police Department and the FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathaniel J. Walters and Alessandra C. Bermudez, District of Arizona, Tucson, are handling the prosecution.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: CR-25-03845-RM (EJM)
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-150_Rivas# # #
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 Sentenced to over 8 Years in Prison for Attempted Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – John Stephen Baker, 71, of Tucson, was sentenced on September 10, by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 8.5 years in prison, followed by a term of lifetime supervised release. Baker previously pleaded guilty to Attempted Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Activity.
Beginning around February 6, 2023, and continuing through May 10, 2023, Baker communicated with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old female, who was actually an undercover special agent with Homeland Security Investigations. During his chats with the undercover agent, Baker asked about previous sexual experiences and expressed fears with engaging in sexual intercourse with an underage female because of the potential for arrest. Nonetheless, on May 10, 2023, Baker traveled from his home in Tucson to Sahuarita, Arizona, with the intent to engage in illicit sexual activity with the person he believed to be an underage female.
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 Officers 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 conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathaniel J. Walters and Jennifer H. Berman, District of Arizona, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-01362-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-148_Baker# # #
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.
Georgia Man Sentenced to over 4 Years in Prison for Fraud Targeting AHCCCSRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Kenneth Terrell Harrison, 45, of College Park, Georgia was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 52 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Harrison was also ordered to pay restitution to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (“AHCCCS”) in the amount of $6,538,485.09.
Harrison admitted that he owned an outpatient behavioral health counseling service, Aurtism, LLC, located in Mesa. Aurtism applied to be a medical provider for AHCCCS, Arizona’s Medicaid agency, in 2019. At the time Aurtism applied to AHCCCS, Harrison admitted that he did not disclose his ownership interest in Aurtism to AHCCCS because he was worried that if he accurately described his involvement as the primary owner of the business, AHCCCS would deny the application based upon Harrison’s prior criminal history.
Harrison further admitted that he engaged in a fraudulent billing practice targeting AHCCCS. Specifically, starting in January 2020, Harrison began obtaining AHCCCS identification numbers for AHCCCS enrollees, some of whom visited the Aurtism facility, while others he obtained fraudulently. Nearly all of the AHCCCS enrollees billed for by Harrison were members of the American Indian Health Plan (“AIHP”). Aurtism fraudulently billed AHCCCS for services that were never provided to the AHCCCS enrollees. Between January 2020 and October 2021, Aurtism fraudulently billed AHCCCS for $6,538,485.09.
At the sentencing hearing, the Court noted the particular harm done to vulnerable populations in Arizona as a result of this type of fraud.
The FBI’s Phoenix Division and IRS Criminal Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aron Ketchel, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-0393-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-149_Harrison# # #
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.District of Arizona Charges 215 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from September 6, 2025, through September 12, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 215 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 99 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 99 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 14 cases against 16 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement is a key part of border vigilance, and prosecutors also charged 1 individual for assaulting a federal officer.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Isaia David Ralph Gutierrez, et al.: On September 10, 2025, Isaia David Ralph Gutierrez and Shay Nicole Fernandez were charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. Gutierrez, the driver, and Fernandez, the front seat passenger, were pulled over by a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputy for state traffic violations. Upon approaching the vehicle, the deputy observed an individual wearing camouflage clothing and lying down on the rear passenger seat floorboard. The deputy suspected that Gutierrez was engaged in human smuggling and contacted U.S. Border Patrol for assistance. Border Patrol Agents responded to the scene to conduct an immigration inspection and learned that the rear seat passenger was a citizen of Mexico, illegal present in the United States. [Case Number: 25-MJ-05415]
United States v. Robin Estuardo Perez Ramos: On September 11, 2025, Robin Estuardo Perez Ramos, an illegal alien and citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Assault on a Federal Officer. While conducting surveillance, agents from ICE and ERO saw Perez Ramos, who had been ordered removed from the United States by an Immigration Judge in 2020, get into a vehicle and leave the area. ICE/ERO officers activated their emergency lights and attempted to stop Perez Ramos, but he fled, alternating between speeding up and hitting his brakes. Perez Ramos then put his vehicle in reverse and rapidly accelerated backwards towards the vehicle of one of the ICE officers. Perez Ramos hit the front bumper of officer's vehicle, causing damage, and then fled away at a high rate of speed. While fleeing, Perez Ramos appeared to initially lose control of his vehicle, causing him to accelerate across the median into oncoming traffic. The vehicle then spun around. For safety reasons, ICE/ERO deactivated their emergency equipment and tried to follow Perez Ramos covertly. ICE/ERO temporarily lost sight of the vehicle but located it soon after in a Walmart parking lot. A second ICE officer then attempted to stop Perez Ramos, but he again rapidly reversed and swerved into the officer's emergency vehicle, causing significant damage to the front passenger side. Perez Ramos then drove to an apartment complex, abandoned the vehicle, and ran into the apartment complex. Ramos Perez entered the apartment of a female occupant, who did not know Perez Ramos and was afraid for her and her children’s safety. Perez Ramos was ultimately taken into custody. [Case Number: 25-MJ-05425]
United States v. Jose Eulice Arrendondo-Duran: On September 8, 2025, Jose Eulice Arredondo-Duran was charged by criminal complaint with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Jose Eulice Arredondo-Duran was previously removed from the United States in 2014 after being convicted of Conspiracy to Violate Uniform Control Substance Act and Trafficking in Methamphetamine, both felony offenses, in the Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, State of Nevada. In that case, Arredondo-Duran was sentenced to 12-48 months on the Conspiracy, and to 36-120 months on the Trafficking, with both counts to be served concurrently with one another. [Case Number: 25-MJ-05395]
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-147_September 12 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Nogales Man Sentenced to 32 Months in Prison for Pointing Firearm at Border Patrol AgentRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Erik Alberto Beal, 28, of Nogales, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Angela Martinez to 32 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Beal previously pleaded guilty to Assault on a Federal Officer.
On April 11, 2024, two uniformed Border Patrol Agents were tracking an illegal alien they saw cross into the United States near Beal’s residence in the border city of Nogales. The agents had split up and were searching around Beal’s residence when a pit bull was released from the side door in the direction of the one of the agents. The agent drew his service-issued firearm at the pit bull and began shouting. Beal then came out of his house, retrieved a semi-automatic handgun from his nearby truck, chambered a round, and pointed the gun at the uniformed agent. A brief, but tense, standoff ensued until the second agent arrived and drew his service weapon at Beal. Only then did Beal put down his gun.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Micah Schmit and Serra Tsethlikai, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 24-CR-02352-TUC-AMM-JR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-146_Beal# # #
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.Oregon Man Sentenced to 39 Months in Prison for Cyberstalking and Interstate StalkingRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On September 4, Brian Thomas Balda, 52, of Oregon, was sentenced by United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 39 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. On June 13, 2025, a federal jury found Balda guilty of one count of Cyberstalking and one count of Interstate Stalking following a four-day trial
In 2023 and 2024, Balda engaged in a campaign to intimidate and harass a former United States government official. For approximately ten months, Balda sent abusive and profane text messages and voicemails to the victim. Balda ultimately drove from Oregon to Arizona to confront the victim, and was arrested by law enforcement near the victim’s home. Four knives, binoculars, and a replica handgun were found in Balda’s car at the time of his arrest.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office investigated this matter, with the assistance of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the University of Arizona Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-1182-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-145_Balda# # #
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.District of Arizona Charges 218 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from August 30, 2025, through September 5, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 218 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 100 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 107 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed cases against 11 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Jose Uriel Meraz-Aguilar: On September 3, 2025, Jose Uriel Meraz-Aguilar, 20, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On September 1, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Meraz-Aguilar south of Dateland, Arizona, after he entered the United States near Monument 179 with three other individuals. The group, wearing camouflage and carpet shoes, attempted to travel north through the desert toward Interstate 8, but became separated. Two members of the group were rescued and received medical treatment for dehydration and heat exhaustion. Agents learned that Meraz-Aguilar was being paid to serve as a foot guide for the Salazares Cartel, and that he had left the individuals behind in the desert on cartel instructions. [Case Number: 25-MJ-1860]
United States v. Edwuin Lucino Hernandez-Cordero: On September 4, 2025, Edwuin Lucino Hernandez-Cordero, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien. Hernandez-Cordero had previously been pulled over in July 2025 while transporting five illegal aliens. Subsequent investigation linked Hernandez-Cordero to stash houses in Glendale and Phoenix run by a human smuggling organization. Hernandez-Cordero and his associates were identified as drivers and caretakers involved in transporting illegal aliens throughout the United States for profit. [Case Number: 25-MJ-6386]
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-144_August September 5 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Mexican National Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Assaulting U.S. Border Patrol AgentRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Mario Garcia-Estrada, 26, of Hidalgo, Mexico, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 63 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Garcia-Estrada previously pleaded guilty to two counts of Assault on a Federal Officer.
In the early morning of March 4, 2023, Garcia-Estrada illegally entered the United States from Mexico. United States Border Patrol (USBP) cameras spotted Garcia-Estrada near Bisbee, and an agent was dispatched to the area where she encountered Garcia-Estrada hiding. After determining that Garcia-Estrada was illegally present in the country, the USBP agent placed him under arrest, seizing his cell phone and identification. As the agent attempted to place Garcia-Estrada in her patrol vehicle, Garcia-Estrada pushed her to the ground and punched her several times in the face and head before fleeing the scene on foot. A USBP camera operator was able to track Garcia-Estrada, guiding other agents to his location where he was arrested. As a result of this vicious attack, the victim agent suffered a fractured nose and other injuries.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Sierra Vista office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Houston, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-00321-SHR-BGM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-143_Garcia-Estrada# # #
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.District of Arizona Charges 233 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from August 23, 2025, through August 29, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 233 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 107 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 108 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 16 cases against 18 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Raymundo Barretero-Fernandez: On August 27, 2025, Raymundo Barretero-Fernandez, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Illegal Re-entry. In 2019, Barretero-Fernandez was convicted in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma of Conspiracy to Possess Heroin with Intent to Distribute and Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm. He was sentenced to 36 months in prison and subsequently removed from the United States. Barretero-Fernandez then re-entered the United States without legal permission or authority. [Case Number: 25-MJ-0332]
United States v. Jose Luis Nunez-Sandoval: On August 29, 2025, Jose Luis Nunez-Sandoval, a Mexican citizen, was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien and Illegal Re-entry. According to court documents, on August 27, 2025, Nunez-Sandoval was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol while traveling on Interstate 40 with two passengers. Agents determined that Nunez-Sandoval and the passengers were unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 25-MJ-0185]
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-142_August 29 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.