District of Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. – Armando Puentes-Melendez, 38, of Mexico, was sentenced on April 24, 2025, by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 60 months in prison. Puentes-Melendez previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.

On January 18, 2024, law enforcement agents intercepted a drug transaction involving over 100 pounds of methamphetamine. Puentes-Melendez and two co-conspirators met with an undercover agent in Phoenix to facilitate the drug deal. While the methamphetamine was being retrieved from a nearby stash house, Puentes-Melendez discussed potential future drug transactions with the undercover agent. Once law enforcement confirmed the drugs were en route, agents moved in and arrested Puentes-Melendez and his co-conspirators.

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

CASE NUMBER:            CR24-00681-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-069_Puentes-Melendez

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Roy Lane, 44, of St. David, Arizona, was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for filing false tax returns and loan applications to obtain COVID-19 disaster relief. Layne previously pleaded guilty to two counts of Wire Fraud and one count of Filing a False Claim.

According to court documents, and evidence presented in court, to create the appearance that he was operating several businesses, Layne filed paperwork with the IRS, applied for a business license from the City of Tucson, opened business bank accounts, and filed false employment-related tax returns. In April 2020, he filed an application with the U.S. Small Business Administration, that claimed he operated a “wholesale” business with 17 employees that had revenue of more than a half million dollars a year. In 2021, he submitted a false application for a Paycheck Protection Act loan, claiming that same “wholesale” business had 31 employees and $1.2 million in revenue. Based on these and other false applications, Layne ultimately received over $300,000 in COVID-19 related loans to which he was not entitled.

Layne also used the personal identifying information and identities of other people to file false claims for refunds with the IRS. In total, Layne claimed over $7.4 million in false refunds, of which the IRS paid over $590,000.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker ordered Layne to pay $856,692.91 in restitution to the United States.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Matthew R. Hoffman of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, prosecuted the case.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-24-04907-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-070_Layne

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Alan Xavier Cabrera, 27, of Mexico, was arrested on April 25, 2025, and charged by criminal complaint for Possession of Child Pornography.

According to the complaint, on April 25, 2025, Cabrera applied for entry into the United States at the port of entry in San Luis, Arizona with a B1/B2 travel visa. Based on Cabrera’s behavior, agents examined his cell phone and identified numerous images of child pornography, also known as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The material included images and videos that appeared to depict minors under the age of ten years old engaged in sexual acts on adult males.

A conviction for Possession of Child Pornography carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and a term of supervised release up to life.

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

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

CASE NUMBER:           25-01524MJ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-066_Cabrera

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – On April 30, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 5-count indictment against Ian William Moses, 35, of Mesa, Arizona for Maliciously Damaging Property and Vehicles in Interstate Commerce by Means of Fire.

The charging documents filed in the case allege that 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 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.

“If you engage in domestic terrorism, this Department of Justice will find you, follow the facts, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “No negotiating.”

“ATF’s Special Agents and forensic investigators, working with the FBI and local partners, quickly recovered and analyzed critical evidence following this deliberate attack,” said ATF Acting Director Dan Driscoll. “This attack poses a serious threat to public safety and the ATF remains committed to aggressively pursuing anyone who endangers our communities through violence or destruction.”

“There is nothing American about burning down someone else’s business because you disagree with them politically,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “These ongoing attacks against Tesla are not protests, they are acts of violence that have no place in Arizona or anywhere else. If someone targets Tesla with violence, they will be found and confronted with the full force of the law.”

“I would like to recognize the dedicated work of the Mesa Police and Mesa Fire Departments on this case,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Brendan Iber. “Cooperation with our law enforcement partners acts as a multiplier in our efforts to remove violent criminals from the streets and make our communities safer. The professionalism and extensive investigative knowledge of the police and fire investigators within our arson taskforce cannot be overstated.”

“My office will be engaged in this investigation, and I’m pleased to be able to share our expertise,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “We have a high level of success in prosecuting these types of crimes. My office stands ready to assist our federal law enforcement partners in the prosecution of this individual.”

“I would like to recognize the outstanding efforts of the Superstition District Patrol officers who played a crucial role in this investigation. Their swift action in identifying and monitoring the suspicious van parked near the dealership was critical to the success of this operation. I am truly grateful for their diligent police work,” said Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost. “Special thanks also go to the Mesa Police specialty units and the partnering agencies involved. Your collaboration was instrumental in bringing this suspect to justice and enhancing the safety of our community.”

Each count of conviction for Malicious Damage to Property in Interstate Commerce carries a minimum penalty of 5 years and up to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

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

The investigation in this case is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, Mesa Police Department, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond K. Woo, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           25-8272MJ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-068_Moses

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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TUCSON, Ariz. – On Friday, April 25, 2025, a jury found former Border Patrol Agent Jorge J. Jimenez, 54, of Rio Rico, guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Wire Fraud. The guilty verdict followed a 10-day trial before U.S. District Judge Rosemary Marquez. A conviction for this crime carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and not more than three years supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for July 9, 2025. 

“Securing the southern border requires an effective law enforcement force, held to the highest standard of integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Mr. Jimenez forgot his oath and put his community in danger for his own gain.” 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jimenez was employed as a United States Border Patrol Agent since 2010. Between July and October 2024, Jimenez was stationed at the Interstate 19 (I-19) Border Patrol Checkpoint where he worked the primary lanes performing inspections. 

At trial, the government showed that between June 2024 and October 2024, Jimenez conspired with at least two individuals in Mexico to allow “load” vehicles to pass through his assigned checkpoint lane without inspection. The individuals in Mexico handled arrangements and the receipt of payment while Jimenez provided information about activities at the checkpoint and let the “load” vehicles pass through his lane. In exchange for his help, Jimenez expected to receive half of the $40,000 that the conspirators were paid for getting five “load” vehicles through the checkpoint.   

The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, and the FBI conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. 

CASE NUMBER: 24-CR-08599-TUC-RM 
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-067_Jimenez 

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ 

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Torrance Bistline, 36, of Colorado City, Arizona, was sentenced on April 28, 2025, by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 35 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. On October 2, 2024, Bistline was convicted by a jury of one count of Using a Means of Interstate Commerce to Persuade or Coerce a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity; two counts of Destruction of Records in an Official Proceeding; one count of Conspiracy to Commit Destruction of Records in an Official Proceeding; one count of Tampering with an Official Proceeding; and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Tampering with an Official Proceeding.

Bistline’s charges were related to his participation in a years-long child sexual abuse conspiracy that spanned several states and victimized at least ten children. Bistline committed his crimes with others, including co-defendant Samuel Rappylee Bateman, the self-proclaimed leader of a religious sect based in Colorado City. In 2020 and 2021, some of Bateman’s followers gave Bateman their minor daughters and wards as child “brides” to sexually abuse. Bateman and ten of his other followers previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the child sexual abuse conspiracy and were not part of the trial against Bistline.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Bistline sexually abused one of Bateman’s child “brides” during a group sexual activity. He later tried to hide and destroy evidence to interfere with the investigation. Bistline also provided financial support, including luxury vehicles, to the child sex abuse ring.

The Phoenix Field Office of the FBI conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution. The United States Attorney’s Office continues to extend special gratitude to the Arizona Department of Child Safety for its work rescuing and protecting Arizona children impacted by this matter, the Colorado City Police Department, the Iron County (Utah) Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the St. George Resident Agency of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office for their assistance in this matter.

CASE NUMBER:           22-CR-8092-010-PCT-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-065_Bistline

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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An Arizona man was sentenced to 4 years in prison for filing false tax returns and loan applications to obtain COVID-19 disaster relief.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, to create the appearance that he was operating several businesses, Roy Layne of St. David, Arizona filed paperwork with the IRS, applied for a business license from the City of Tuscon, opened business bank accounts, and filed false employment-related tax returns. In April 2020, he filed an application with the U.S. Small Business Administration, that claimed he operated a “wholesale” business with 17 employees that had revenue of more than half a million dollars a year. In 2021, he submitted a false application for a Paycheck Protection Act Loan, claiming that same “wholesale” business had 31 employees, and $1.2 million in revenue. Layne ultimately received $306,700 in COVID-19 related loans to which he was not entitled.

In addition, Layne used the personal identifying information and identity of another person to file false claims for refunds with the IRS. In total, Layne claimed over $7.4 million in false refunds, of which the IRS paid $590,000.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker ordered Layne to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $856,692.91 in restitution to the United States.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine of the District of Arizona made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are conducting the investigation.

Trial Attorney Matthew R. Hoffman of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier of the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Adrian Lopez-Aparicio, 40, of Mexico, was sentenced on April 24, 2025, by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 41 months in prison. Lopez-Aparicio previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

On October 3, 2024, Lopez-Aparicio was found in possession of 20,000 fentanyl pills in Tucson, Arizona, that he intended to sell and distribute to another person. Three weeks later, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Lopez-Aparicio for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, conspiring with others to distribute fentanyl, and illegal reentry of a removed alien.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Cavanaugh, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-07590-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-064_Lopez-Aparicio

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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TUCSON, Ariz. – On Wednesday, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned a 5-count indictment against Teodoro Diaz-Ochoa, 44, of Mexico, for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, Alien in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, and Reentry of a Removed Alien. 

The charging documents filed in the case allege that Diaz-Ochoa is an alien, illegally present in the United States, who was previously convicted of felony Attempted Sexual Assault and last removed from the United State on April 22, 2016. On January 22, 2025, Arizona Game and Fish Officers encountered Diaz-Ochoa while conducting a hunting without a license investigation. Diaz-Ochoa was found in possession of a Savage bolt action rifle and 80 rounds of various ammunition. On March 26, 2025, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a federal search warrant at Diaz-Ochoa’s residence, where they discovered a Remington semi-automatic shotgun and 18 rounds of various ammunition.  

A conviction for the firearm and ammunition charges carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A conviction for the reentry of a removed alien charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. 

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). 

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

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.  

CASE NUMBER: CR-25-01989-TUC-JCH 
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-062_Diaz-Ochoa

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona,  visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ 

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Terrell Maurice Mars, 47, of Mesa, Arizona, was arrested on April 18, 2025, and charged by criminal complaint for bank robbery.

The complaint filed in this case alleges that, on April 18, 2025, Mars entered a credit union in Mesa, Arizona, waving what appeared to be a handgun, and directing the employees and customers to get down. Mars then demanded money from the tellers, and later the bank manager, who complied. After leaving the credit union with the stolen cash, witnesses observed Mars flee on an electric scooter.

Mesa Police Department patrol officers responded to a dispatch about the bank robbery and located Mars hiding under a truck in a nearby apartment parking lot. He was taken into custody without incident and was found in possession of the same amount of cash that was stolen from the credit union. Police officers also found a hot glue gun near Mars that looked like the ostensible handgun he was seen carrying in credit union surveillance video.

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

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Mesa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Schesnol, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           25-MJ-05233-PHX-DMF
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-061_Mars

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from April 19, 2025, through April 25, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 232 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 110 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 110 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 9 cases against 11 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. The United States also charged one individual with failing to register, as required by law. 

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. Alex Esparaza Sanchez, et al: On April 22, 2025, Alex Esparza Sanchez, Nikolas Baldriche, Carlos Zuniga-Lizo, Sherman James-Guzman, and Benjamin Lopez-Barron were indicted for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and Bringing in Illegal Aliens to the United States for Profit. According to the court documents, Esparza Sanchez, Baldriche and Zuniga-Lizo coordinated with James-Guzman and Lopez-Brown who picked up illegal aliens at the border in Yuma, Arizona. [Case Number: CR-25-00600-PHX-SMB]

United States v. Hakeem Alberto Lucero-Parra: On April 22, 2025, Hakeem Alberto Lucero-Parra, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged for illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed. According to the criminal complaint, after being arrested on local charges in Phoenix, Arizona, it was determined that Lucero-Parra had been previously deported after a conviction for Aggravated Assault and Attempt to Commit Kidnapping. [Case number: MJ-25-6149-PHX-ASB]

United States v. Jacinto Medina-Palacios: On April 22, 2025, Jacinto Medina-Palacios, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged for illegally reentering the United States after being previously removed. According to the criminal complaint, after being arrested on local charges in Phoenix, Arizona, it was determined that Medina-Palacios had been previously deported after a conviction for Carrying a Loaded Firearm while not the Registered Owner. [Case Number: MJ-25-6152-PHX-ASB]

United States v. Teodoro Diaz-Ochoa: On April 23, 2025, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned a 5-count indictment against Teodoro Diaz-Ochoa, 44, of Mexico, for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, Alien in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, and Reentry of a Removed Alien. According to the charging documents in the case, Arizona Game and Fish Officers encountered Diaz-Ochoa in possession of a bolt action rifle while they were conducting a hunting without a license investigation. ATF agents also found a shotgun and ammunition at Diaz-Ochoa’s residence pursuant to a search warrant. Diaz-Ochoa was previously convicted of felony Attempted Sexual Assault and deported from the United States on April 22, 2016. [Case Number: CR-25-01989-TUC-JCH]

Criminal complaints and indictments are simply methods 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.

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).                                                                                 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-063_April 25 Immigration Enforcement

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from April 12, 2025, through April 18, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 329 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 130 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 179 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. The United States also charged one individual with failing to register, as required by law. 

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. Manuel Ivan Rodriguez-Loya: On April 13, 2025, Manuel Ivan Rodriguez-Loya was arrested for Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit. Border Patrol agents from the Lordsburg, New Mexico Station attempted to stop Rodriguez-Loya's vehicle, but he failed to yield, leading agents on a high-speed chase into Arizona. Agents from the Willcox, Arizona Station then positioned themselves to intercept the vehicle and eventually caught Rodriguez-Loya. He was found to be transporting eight illegal aliens at the time, including citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. [Case Number: MJ-25-00365-TUC-BGM]

United States v. Emilio Escobar-Escalante: On April 15, 2025, Emilio Escobar-Escalante was sentenced to 37 months in prison for Reentry of Removed Alien. Border Patrol agents discovered Escobar-Escalante in the desert near Vamori, Arizona on January 10, 2024. He initially gave a false name but was ultimately identified as Escobar-Escalante. His identity revealed that he is a documented member of the Latin Kings and MS-13 criminal gangs. Immigration records showed that Escobar-Escalante has been removed from the United States seven times. Escobar-Escalante has previous convictions for illegal reentry, as well as racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. [Case Number: CR-24-00541-TUC-CKJ]

United States v. Antonio Terrell Gaither: On April 15, 2025, Antonio Terrell Gaither was indicted for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and Bringing an Illegal Alien to the United States for Profit. According to the criminal complaint, Gaither admitted to using Telegram and burner phones to recruit others to travel to the southern border to pick up illegal aliens before transporting them to Phoenix, Arizona. [Case Number: CR-25-00566-PHX-KLM]

United States v. Felipe Alonso-Cabada: On April 17, 2025, Felipe Alonso-Cabada, aka Oscar Sanchez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged for Reentry of Removed Alien. According to the criminal complaint, after being arrested on local charges in Phoenix, Arizona, it was determined that Alonso-Cabada had been previously deported after a conviction for trafficking heroin. [Case number: MJ-25-5220-PHX-DMF]

United States v. Eduardo Prado Flores: On April 17, 2025, Eduardo Prado Flores, an alien illegally present in the United States was charged with Failure to Register as an Alien under 8 U.S.C. § 1306(a). Flores, who was removed to Mexico on five occasions, has been living in the United States unlawfully since 2022. On April 16, 2025, Flores was turned over to the Department of Homeland Security after being arrested for Driving Under the Influence. While he was living in the United States from 2022 to 2025, Flores failed to file any immigration paperwork or register as required by law. [Case Number: MJ-25-5225-PHX]

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

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).                                                                                       

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-060_April 18 Immigration Enforcement

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Morris Gary Hibbitt, 51, of Avondale, was sentenced on April 14, 2025, by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow to 13 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release for sexual abuse of an inmate. Hibbitt is also required to register as a sex offender.

On May 21, 2023, while on duty as the Security Supervisor at Behavioral Systems Southwest (BSS) in Phoenix, Hibbitt sexually assaulted a female inmate under his supervision. BSS is a residential reentry center contracted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to aid inmates in their transition back into the community while completing their prison sentences. Inmates at BSS are in official detention and remain under the custodial authority of the BOP.

The Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Kristen Brook, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-00992-PHX-GMS
RELEASE NUMBER:     2025-059_Hibbitt

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Julian Canastillo, 23, of Tucson, was sentenced on April 15, 2025, by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to six years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Canastillo previously pleaded guilty to six counts of Smuggling Goods from the United States and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Canastillo was the lead defendant in a 51-count indictment filed on September 15, 2022, charging 10 individuals involved in a firearms trafficking organization based in Tucson. An investigation leading to the indictment revealed a series of transactions linked to the organization for firearms that were later seized in the Republic of Mexico. In total, the Tucson-based organization is connected to more than 200 firearms transactions, and Canastillo alone admitted to smuggling 36 firearms into Mexico.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela W. Woolridge, Craig H. Russell, and Matthew C. Cassell, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-22-01857-001-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER:           2025-058_Canastillo

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Philip Kevin Clark, 61, of Yuma, Arizona pleaded guilty on April 15, 2025, for Failure to Pay Employment Taxes. Sentencing is scheduled for July 28, 2025, before United States District Judge Steven P. Logan.

Clark, the owner of a water company in Yuma, admitted that between 2017 and 2021, he deducted $395,250 from his employees’ paychecks for taxes that he failed to pay to the IRS. 

A conviction for Failure to Pay Employment Tax carries a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The IRS Criminal Investigation Phoenix Field Office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Rapp, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-00611-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-057_ Clark

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda, 32, a Mexican national from Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico, illegally present in the United States, was sentenced on April 2, 2025, by United States District Judge Krissa M. Lanham to 46 months in prison for Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States.

Court documents show that federal agents identified well over 100 individuals who used Hernandez-Mosqueda’s organization to be smuggled illegally into the United States through Arizona.

Beginning in early 2023, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered many Mexican nationals who entered the United States illegally and were claiming asylum. A number of the encounters involved family units who stated that Hernandez-Mosqueda was known in their hometown of Penjamo as someone who would guide individuals from Penjamo to Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico. From Sonoyta, the illegal aliens were smuggled into the United States by associates of Hernandez-Mosqueda. These aliens were referred to Hernandez-Mosqueda via Facebook and WhatsApp by individuals who had already been successfully smuggled illegally into the United States through his organization.

In addition to coordinating their illegal entry into the United States, Hernandez-Mosqueda coached the illegal aliens on how to claim asylum under false pretenses to gain legal status in the United States.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol Sector Intelligence Unit conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Stuart Zander and Matthew Doyle, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-00820-PHX-KML
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-056_Hernandez-Mosqueda

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from April 5, 2025, through April 11, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 261 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 103 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 140 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 14 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. Sanchez-Marcial: On April 8, 2025, Ofricino Sanchez-Marcial was arrested and charged for Harboring Illegal Aliens. The criminal complaint alleges that Sanchez-Marcial held a Guatemalan citizen, who was illegally present in the United States, against his will and sent threatening messages to his family members demanding a ransom of $135,000.

United States v. Renteria-Cruz: On April 8, 2025, Bonifacio Renteria-Cruz, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested on Illegal Re-Entry charges during an HSI operation led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan. In January 2025, HSI learned that Reinteria-Cruz had illegally returned to the United States after being deported following a 2006 Aggravated Assault conviction. After his deportation, Mexican authorities charged Renteria-Cruz with homicide for events that occurred on July 20, 2009, in Mexico. He was a fugitive until his arrest on Tuesday by HSI.

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

These cases are part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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).

CASE NUMBERS:         25-3144MJ
                                      25-3128MJ                                                         

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-055_April 11 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned a one-count indictment against Andrea Villalva, 32, of Tucson, Arizona, for Smuggling Goods from the United States.

The complaint filed in this case alleges that, on March 7, 2024, Villalva attempted to exit the United States through the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. During a physical inspection of Villalva’s vehicle, Customs and Border Protection Officers discovered 8 sealed cases of 5.56 XP193 rifle ammunition hidden behind the rear wall of the trunk. In total, 8,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered. Villalva admitted being paid $150 per box of ammunition that she successfully smuggled into Mexico. She also admitted to having smuggled ammunition into Mexico on three previous occasions.

A conviction for Smuggling Goods from the United States carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

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).

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

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie A. Sottosanti, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            25-CR-01724-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-053_Villalva

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Bonifacio Renteria-Cruz, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested on Illegal Re-Entry charges on Tuesday during a Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) operation led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan. Renteria-Cruz was charged by Criminal Complaint for violation of Title 8, U.S.C. 1326(a) and (b)(1).

On October 11, 2006, Renteria-Cruz, a Mexican citizen illegally present in the United States, was convicted of Aggravated Assault, a class 3 felony, in the Maricopa County Superior Court and sentenced to three-and-a-half-years in prison. Renteria-Cruz was deported to Mexico on April 8, 2008.

After his deportation, Mexican authorities charged Renteria-Cruz with homicide for events that occurred on July 20, 2009, in Mexico. Since that time, he has been a fugitive.

Pursuant to a tip in January 2025, HSI learned that Renteria-Cruz had illegally returned to the United States. Agents were able to locate and identify Renteria-Cruz, and on April 8, 2025, Renteria-Cruz was arrested during an Immigration Operation.

This investigation 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.

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

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

CASE NUMBER:           25-3128MJ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-052_Renteria-Cruz

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Arturo Contreras Soto, 37, of Tucson, was sentenced on Tuesday by Chief United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 60 months in prison. Soto was convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon following a bench trial on January 28, 2025.

On April 3, 2024, Tucson Police Department officers arrested Soto while he was riding an electric bicycle and carrying an open container of alcohol near downtown Tucson. The officers searched the satchel that Soto was wearing across his chest and found a 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine. Soto also had approximately 500 fentanyl pills and approximately $250 in cash in his pockets. Further investigation revealed that Soto had numerous prior felony convictions, including a conviction for motor vehicle theft, two separate convictions for drug-related felonies, and two separate convictions for aggravated robbery. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) then assumed responsibility for the case in collaboration with the Tucson Police Department as part of the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP).

The National PSP was established by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide an innovative framework to enhance federal support of state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution authorities in enhancing public safety. PSP began as a pilot program, the Violence Reduction Network, in 2014 and is designed to promote interagency coordination by leveraging specialized law enforcement expertise with dedicated prosecutorial resources to promote public and community safety. PSP serves as a DOJ-wide program that enables participating sites to consult with and receive expedited, coordinated training and technical assistance, and an array of resources from DOJ to enhance local public safety strategies. This model enables DOJ to provide jurisdictions of different sizes and diverse needs with data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to the unique local needs of participating cities to build their capacities to address violent crime challenges. PSP has engaged with more than 60 sites since the program’s inception.

The ATF and Tucson Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer H. Berman and Alessandra Bermudez, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-02929-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-054_Soto

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Abel Airam Franco Garcia, 22, of Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 37 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Franco Garcia previously pleaded guilty to Smuggling Goods from the United States.  

On June 25, 2024, Franco Garcia, a Mexican citizen, was stopped at the San Luis, Arizona Port of Entry as he tried to leave the United States. A search of his car led to the discovery of four firearms, six magazines (including two high-capacity magazines), ammunition, and suspected fentanyl. Franco Garcia admitted that he had driven to Phoenix earlier that day, and that individuals were paying him to transport the firearms to Mexico.

This case is 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice has launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Goldberg, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR 24-01250-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-051_ Franco Garcia

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from March 29, 2025, through April 4, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona has brought immigration-related criminal charges against 204 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 83 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 also filed 13 cases against 14 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. Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda: On April 2, 2025, Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda, a Mexica national, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States. In 2023 through his arrest in May of 2024, Hernandez-Mosqueda coordinated the smuggling of over 100 illegal aliens to the United States. Many of the illegal aliens were coached by Hernandez-Mosqueda to illegally enter the United States and claim asylum under false pretenses. Case No. CR-24-00820-PHX-KML.

United States v. Gabriel Santiago-Ramirez: On April 1, 2025, Gabriel Santiago-Ramirez was driving a silver SUV near Kingman, Arizona. A United States Border Patrol agent, while driving behind the SUV, observed the SUV pull off onto the shoulder of the road on Interstate 40 (I-40). The driver, Santiago-Ramirez, later identified as being in the United States illegally, fled across I-40 into the desert. Border Patrol arrested three illegal aliens inside the SUV and followed Santiago-Ramirez's foot signs into the desert, arresting him for Transportation of Illegal Aliens. Santiago-Ramirez was charged by criminal complaint on April 3, 2025. Case No. 25-MJ-01441-JFM.

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

CASE NUMBERS:         CR-24-00820-PHX-KML
                                      25-MJ-01441-JFM

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-050_April 4 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Jesus Rene Villa, 31, of Tucson, was sentenced on March 25, 2025, by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 36 months in prison. Villa pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon on January 8, 2025.

On March 1, 2024, Tucson Police Department officers searched Villa’s vehicle after arresting him for previously fleeing from law enforcement. During the search, officers located a loaded firearm in a black duffel bag on the back seat. An investigation revealed that Villa was a four-time convicted felon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) then assumed responsibility for the case in collaboration with the Tucson Police Department as part of the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP).

The National PSP was established by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide an innovative framework to enhance federal support of state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution authorities in enhancing public safety. PSP began as a pilot program, the Violence Reduction Network, in 2014 and is designed to promote interagency coordination by leveraging specialized law enforcement expertise with dedicated prosecutorial resources to promote public and community safety. PSP serves as a DOJ-wide program that enables participating sites to consult with and receive expedited, coordinated training and technical assistance, and an array of resources from DOJ to enhance local public safety strategies. This model enables DOJ to provide jurisdictions of different sizes and diverse needs with data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to the unique local needs of participating cities to build their capacities to address violent crime challenges. PSP has engaged with more than 60 sites since the program’s inception.

The ATF and Tucson Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Caroline Allen, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:          CR-24-01319-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-049_Villa

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jackie Marie Peters, 53, of Mansfield, Texas, was sentenced on March 31, 2025, by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Peters previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud.

From approximately January 2020 through April 2022, Peters’s co-conspirators hacked into an Arizona tax-preparer firm’s computer network and modified in-progress tax documents for more than 40 individuals without their knowledge or the knowledge of the firm. Peters then opened 10 bank accounts at different banks, and numerous tax refunds based upon the modified tax documents were deposited into those accounts. Peters ultimately transferred more than $2.5 million from the accounts that received fraudulent tax refunds to purchase cryptocurrency.

The IRS Criminal Investigation Phoenix Field Office conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-00948-PHX-GMS
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-047_Peters

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Oleg Sergeyevhich Patsulya, a Russian national, was sentenced today to 70 months, or nearly six years, in prison for his role in a conspiracy to export controlled aviation technology to Russia and to launder money in connection with the illegal export scheme. In December 2024, Patsulya’s co-conspirator, Russian national Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin, was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the scheme.

In April 2024, Patsulya, 46, of Miami-Dade County, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to export items from the United States without a license in violation of the Export Control Reform Act and conspiracy to commit international money laundering. At today’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Dominic W. Lanza for the District of Arizona. found that Patsulya was an organizer and leader of the conspiracy and that the money laundering scheme – which employed numerous shell companies, offshore accounts, and multi-layered transactions – was sophisticated in nature, which led to the application of sentencing enhancements.

In handing down Patsulya’s 70-month sentence, Judge Lanza emphasized the seriousness of the offense, Patsulya’s leadership role in planning and carrying it out, and the fact that Patsulya committed these crimes not long after being granted the privilege of a visa to enter the United States. “It’s hard to imagine a bigger betrayal of the United States than what you did,” Judge Lanza said. The proceedings also established that Patsulya currently lacks legal status to be present in the United States.

According to court documents, beginning in or about May 2022, Patsulya and Besedin conspired with each other and several others to obtain orders for various aircraft parts and components from Russian buyers – primarily commercial airline companies – and then fulfill those requests by acquiring the parts from the U.S. suppliers and unlawfully exporting the parts to Russia. The defendants admitted to knowing the items were controlled and required a license from the Department of Commerce to export.

As part of the scheme, the defendants conspired to export multiple shipments of a carbon disc brake system used on Boeing 737 aircraft. When they contacted various U.S. suppliers in efforts to obtain the brake system, Besedin and Patsulya provided false information that the parts were intended for countries other than Russia. The United States was able to detain, prior to export, multiple shipments made by the defendants containing units of the brake assembly technology.

As part of their guilty pleas, Besedin and Patsulya admitted that they attempted to conceal the illegal exports and avoid detection by law enforcement, including by making false representations about the identities of their true customers and using straw buyer-companies located overseas to obscure the origin of revenue. For example, on Sept. 8, 2022, Besedin and Patsulya traveled to Arizona to close a deal with a U.S. company, in which the defendants sought to purchase units of the brake assembly technology. During their discussions with the company, the defendants misrepresented that the aircraft parts were going to be exported to Turkey, when they were in fact destined for Russia. The defendants made false statements to the company both orally and in signed export compliance forms. In connection with this transaction, the defendants received money from a Russian airline company to make the purchase. The funds were transferred to Patsulya’s American bank account from a Turkish bank account that had previously received the money from Russia.

In total, throughout the conspiracy, American bank accounts associated with MIC P&I LLC, Patsulya’s company, received at least $4,582,288.51 sent from Russian airline companies through Turkish bank accounts to purchase aircraft parts and components intended for unlawful export. As part of his plea and sentence, Patsulya is required to forfeit assets, including a luxury car and personal boat, in the amount of $4,582,288.51.

Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona, Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, and Special Agent in Charge Richard Fitzpatrick of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Phoenix Field Office made the announcement.

The BIS Phoenix Field Office and the FBI Phoenix Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the BIS Boston Field Office, the FBI Miami Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations Phoenix Field Office, Customs and Border Protection-Phoenix Field Office, and the U.S. Marshals Office in Miami.

Trial Attorney Christopher M. Rigali of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Voit for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case.

This case was coordinated through the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states. The Strike Force leverages tools and authorities across the U.S. government to enhance the criminal and administrative enforcement of export control laws.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Timothy Courchaine, United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, announces a 20-count indictment against 14 individuals from Arizona, for Conspiracy to Submit a Material False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm and related charges. The indictment was unsealed today.

The indictment alleges that between July 15, 2023, and December 23, 2023, 13 individuals were paid to buy belt-fed rifles and Barrett .50 caliber semi-automatic rifles from licensed firearms dealers in and around Phoenix and Yuma for David Moreno Quevedo. As part of the conspiracy, these individuals lied on the Firearms Transaction Record, known as ATF Form 4473, claiming that they were purchasing the rifles for themselves. The charged conspirators include:

• David Moreno Quevedo, 26, of El Mirage;
• Mario Alberto Ayala, Jr., 23, of Maricopa;
• Randy Obed Valenzuela Chinchillas, 24, of Phoenix;
• Aidee Espinoza, 29, of Phoenix;
• Todd Robert Nuttall, 52, of Gilbert;
• Earl Marlow Burch, 49, of Mesa;
• Wyatt Michael Fernandez, 26, of Tempe;
• Jorge Luis Roman, 28, of Mesa;
• Dylan Morgan Burch, 21, of Eloy;
• Shawna Marie O’Shea, 56, of Tempe;
• Damaris Davila Moreno, 22, of Phoenix;
• Noelia Valenzuela Gomez, 25, of Chandler;
• Melissa Osorio Talamante, 31, of San Tan Valley; and
• Michael Andrew Wingate, 31, of Mesa.

A conviction for the crime of Conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. A conviction for the crime of Material False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, or both.

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

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcus W. Shand, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-00432-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-048_Quevedo, et al

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Justice Department today announced that it will boost FBI assets across the country over the next six months to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country through Operation Not Forgotten.

The FBI will send a total of 60 personnel, rotating in temporary duty assignments over a six-month period to select FBI field offices across the United States, including Arizona. Operation Not Forgotten is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. The detailed FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. FBI Phoenix will receive 11 agents on a rotating basis over the next six months, who will be spread across offices in Arizona.

FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and will work in partnership with Tribal law enforcement agencies across the country.

“Protection of the public is one of the key responsibilities of the Department of Justice. Here in Arizona, the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI have a special trust relationship with the 22 federally recognized tribes in our state,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Operation Not Forgotten reflects the continued commitment of the federal government to pursue justice for crime victims in all Native American communities.”

“Our FBI personnel and Safe Trails Task Forces work closely every single day with our law enforcement partners to investigate crimes of violence throughout the many tribal territories in Arizona,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Jose A. Perez. “We are responsible for investigating the most serious crimes in Indian Country and this initiative will provide much needed additional resources to help us better serve those same communities by assisting victims and bringing criminals to justice.”

“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

Indian Country faces persistent levels of 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 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.

Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and 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:    2025-046_Operation Not Forgotten

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez, 39, a Colombian national, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John J. Tuchi to 30 months in prison for Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States.

Court documents show that federal agents identified over 100 individuals who used Barcelo-Velasquez’s organization to be smuggled illegally into the United States through Arizona.

Since approximately June 2023, Barcelo-Velasquez owned and operated the Baul Travel SAS travel agency in Colombia. In late 2023, United States Border Patrol Sector Intelligence and Homeland Security Investigations began investigating Barcelo-Velasquez after arresting numerous Colombian nationals who identified her as their smuggling coordinator.

Barcelo-Velasquez would meet with the Colombian nationals in Colombia, charge them a fee, and then inform them they would travel to Mexico under the false pretense they were vacationing in the country. They were also informed they would need to pay additional fees to her associates in U.S. currency at airports in Cancun or Mexico City to bribe officials to facilitate their travel. Once in Hermosillo, Mexico, the Colombian nationals were taken to stash houses near the border between Mexico and the United States. These stash houses held people from around the world who were also waiting to illegally cross into the United States. From there, they were transported, often by armed gunmen, to the border where they illegally crossed into the United States.

This case is the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with DHS, has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, District of Arizona, District of New Mexico, and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; Office of Enforcement Operations; and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 355 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 320 U.S. convictions; more than 265 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol Sector Intelligence Unit and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Stuart Zander and Adriana Genco, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-00392-PHX-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-045_Barcelo-Velasquez

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from March 22, 2025, through March 28, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 260 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 96 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 155 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 9 cases against 9 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. Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez: On March 25, 2025, Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez, a Columbian national, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States. Since approximately June 2023, Barcelo-Velasquez coordinated the smuggling of over 100 illegal aliens from Columbia to the United States using her travel company, Baul Travel SAS. This case is the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha. Case No. CR-24-00392-PHX-JJT.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-044_March 28 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Juan Antonio Ruiz, 47, a naturalized United States citizen, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Tucson on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, for Naturalization Fraud.

According to the indictment, in June 2015 Ruiz became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In his application for citizenship, his interview with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and his naturalization oath ceremony, Ruiz answered “no” as to whether he had ever committed a crime for which he had not been arrested.

Three years later, in May 2018, Ruiz was arrested for the crimes of Sexual Conduct with a Minor Under Fifteen, committed between January 17, 2004 and January 16, 2008 and Attempted Molestation of a Child, committed between September 9, 2003 and September 8, 2006. In 2021, Ruiz pleaded guilty to those charges in the Superior Court of Arizona, Pima County, Case Number 20182491-001.

Naturalization Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 and loss of citizenship and cancelation of naturalization certificate.

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

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Sydney Yew, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-01502-AMM-EJM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-043_Ruiz

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Enrrique Ricardo Diaz Vazquez, 60, a Mexican national living in Arizona, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix on Tuesday with Passport and Visa Fraud.

According to the criminal complaint in this case, an individual purporting to be Gene Edward Katzorke (“Katzorke”), first applied for and received a U.S. passport in 1986, submitting an Arizona license and U.S. birth certificate as supporting documentation. In subsequent years, the same individual filed multiple passport renewal applications, using his previously issued passport to support his identity claim. In 2022, Katzorke’s application was flagged for investigation after agents discovered an obituary from the 1960s for a Gene Edward Katzorke.

During the investigation, United States Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents learned that Gene Edward Katzorke had died in 1966, at the age of 2 years old. They also learned that Katzorke’s name was linked in criminal databases to Enrrique Ricardo Diaz Vazquez, a Mexican national.

On March 7, 2025, Diaz Vazquez, purporting to be Gene Edward Katzorke, arrived at the Western Passport Center for a regularly scheduled appointment regarding his most recent passport applications. After confirming that he had applied for the renewal under Katzorke’s name, Diaz Vazquez was arrested for Passport and Visa Fraud.

During a post-arrest interview, Diaz Vazquez admitted his real name to be Enrrique Ricardo Diaz Vasquez and his place of birth as Guadalajara, Mexico. Diaz Vazquez told law enforcement agents that he wanted to join the U.S. military and picked the name Gene Edward Katzorke as his alias after visiting a cemetery. Diaz Vazquez successfully joined the military under Katzorke’s name, but then fled to Mexico after facing criminal charges for a homicide involving a nine-month-old infant in Tucson, Arizona. Diaz Vazquez was eventually deported from Mexico to the United States under the belief that he was a U.S. Citizen, and he has been living under Katzorke’s name since that time. 

Passport and Visa Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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

The Diplomatic Security Service Tucson Resident Office and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation in this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Sydney Yew, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution

CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-00469-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:     2025-042_Diaz Vazquez

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – On March 19, 2025, Kevin Lewis, 38, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced by United States District Judge David G. Campbell to 96 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Lewis previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a Material False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm.

Beginning in February 2020, Lewis, a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms, encouraged his wife and brother-in-law to purchase firearms on his behalf over the course of a year and a half. Lewis then sold those firearms to other people, predominantly in California.  Lewis’ wife, Karra, and brother-in-law, Isaac Godfrey, both pleaded guilty to the same crime as Lewis. Karra Lewis was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and Godfrey was sentenced to 42 months in prison. All three defendants were arrested in Houston.

This case is 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice has launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Phoenix, with the assistance of ATF Houston, Mesa Police Department Major Crimes Unit, and the Police Department of Houston, conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01809-PHX-DGC

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-041_ Lewis

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from March 15, 2025, through March 21, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona has brought immigration-related criminal charges against 217 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 91 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 103 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 15 cases against 23 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. Juan Antonio Ruiz: On March 18, 2025, Juan Antonio Ruiz, a native and citizen of Mexico and lawful permanent resident of the United States, was indicted for violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 1425(a), Naturalization Fraud. According to the Indictment, in 2015, in his Application for Naturalization, naturalization interview, and Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony he provided false statements under oath indicating that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested. In January 2021, Ruiz pleaded guilty to the crimes of Sexual Conduct with a Minor Under Fifteen (from January 2004 through January 2008) and Attempted Molestation of a Child (from September 2003 through September 2006) in the Superior Court of Arizona, Pima County. He was arrested for the crimes in May 2018. Case number CR-25-01502-TUC-AMM.

United States v. Jose Alejandro Medrano-Renteria: Medrano-Renteria was arrested and charged by complaint with Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit. United States Border Patrol agents attempted a vehicle stop, but Medrano-Renteria failed to yield, and a vehicle immobilization device had to be deployed. The vehicle lost a tire, but the defendant continued to drive until all occupants bailed from the vehicle. With the assistance of a K9, Border Patrol agents located four illegal aliens who had been in the defendant's vehicle. The defendant was located hiding in a tree on a nearby property. He admitted he was being paid $1,000 per alien he smuggled. Case number 25-MJ-01687-MAA.

United States v. Tracy Ann Cook; Alex Puella; Yesenia Monique Ortiz: Tracy Ann Cook, Alex Puella, and Yesenia Monique Ortiz were arrested and charged by complaint with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit. Tohono O'odham Police Officers stopped the vehicle driven by Cook for a traffic violation. Puella and Ortiz were passengers in the vehicle. Officers located three additional people laying down in the vehicle. When United States Border Patrol agents arrived on scene, the additional three people were determined to be illegal aliens. One of the illegal aliens was determined to be a citizen of Uzbekistan. Case number 25-MJ-01704-MAA.

A criminal complaint and criminal indictment are simply methods 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.

CASE NUMBERS:         CR-25-01502-TUC-AMM
                                      25-MJ-01687-MAA
                                      25-MJ-01704-MAA

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-040_March 21 Immigration Enforcement

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Christopher E. Galvin, 58, of Scottsdale, was convicted by a federal jury last week on one count of Wire Fraud. The guilty verdict came after a three-day jury trial before United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich. Galvin’s sentencing is set for May 30, 2025.

In April 2019, Galvin founded Hypur Ventures II and became its Chief Executive Officer. Galvin made misrepresentations to a victim to convince the victim to invest in Hypur Ventures II. Among other things, Galvin told the victim that he would invest the victim’s money in a fund of businesses in the cannabis industry. As a result of Galvin’s misrepresentations, the victim wired $100,000 for an investment in Hypur Ventures II in Arizona. Galvin did not invest the money but instead used it to pay his legal bills, pay others, and enrich himself. Galvin never returned any of the victim’s money despite repeatedly promising the victim that he would do so.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation – Phoenix Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsay Short and Bruce Van Baren, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01375-PHX-SMB 
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-038_Galvin

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, a jury found Clifton Nez Hamalowa, 47, of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, guilty of First-Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Discharging a Firearm During, In Relation to, and in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. The guilty verdict followed a seven-day jury trial before United States District Court Judge John J. Tuchi.

During trial, evidence showed that Hamalowa became angry with the victim one evening and then shot the victim in the head multiple times the following morning, August 29, 2020. Hamalowa dumped the victim’s body in a remote area of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation. Meanwhile, Hamalowa’s brother disposed of the victim’s car in Parker, Arizona, and Hamalowa’s sister made her daughter clean the victim’s blood from the crime scene on the Gila River Indian Reservation. Over the next two weeks, Hamalowa and his sister also intimidated witnesses into silence. Eventually, a witness was able to contact the Gila River Police Department so that officers could rescue the victim’s minor child who was still in the victim’s home.

Hamalowa’s brother, Thomas Leon Hamalowa, pleaded guilty to Accessory-After-the-Fact to Murder and was sentenced to 108 months in prison on October 23, 2023. Hamalowa’s sister, Devonne Beth Hamalowa, pleaded guilty to Accessory-After-the-Fact to Murder and was sentenced to 84 months in prison on April 1, 2024.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Gila River Police Department jointly investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer E. LaGrange and Travis L. Wheeler, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00751-PHX-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-037_Hamalowa

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TUCSON, Ariz. –Sergio Humberto Ramos, 73, of Nogales, was sentenced last week by United States District Court Chief Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Ramos pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, admitting that he was paid to store the drugs at a trucking yard near Nogales until they could be transported.

Ramos admitted he was storing methamphetamine at a trucking yard he maintained near Nogales. Ramos further admitted that he was keeping the drugs for later transportation for someone else, and that he intended to be paid for storing them.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney, David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR 21-01798-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-038_Ramos

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from March 8, 2025, through March 14, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona has brought immigration-related criminal charges against 232 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 92 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 124 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 11 cases against 15 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. Edwin Andres Valdez-Gutierrez: On March 12, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a two-count indictment against Edwin Andres Valdez-Gutierrez, an illegal alien and citizen of Mexico, for Assault on a Federal Officer and Reentry of Removed Alien. On February 10, 2025, federal officers from the United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Response Team were investigating Valdez-Gutierrez’s unlawful presence in the United States. While ICE officers attempted to apprehend Valdez-Gutierrez, Valdez-Gutierrez reversed his vehicle into a vehicle occupied by ICE officers, causing significant damage. There were no injuries to the officers. Case No. CR-25-00392-PHX-DLR.

United States v. Jorge Fontes-Garcia: On March 4, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a four-count superseding indictment against Jorge Fontes-Garcia, 25, an illegal alien from Sonora, Mexico, for Bringing an Illegal Alien to the United States Unlawfully Resulting in Death, Conspiracy to Bring Illegal Aliens to the United States Unlawfully, Bringing Illegal Aliens to the United States Unlawfully, and Reentry of Removed Alien. The superseding indictment alleges that on August 23, 2023, Fontes-Garcia acted as the foot guide, leading a group of eight aliens across the Mexico-United States border into southern Arizona. United States Border Patrol apprehended all but one of the illegal aliens in the open desert approximately 19 miles south of Tacna, Arizona. The remaining alien was found by Border Patrol agents shortly thereafter, already deceased due to excessive heat exposure. Case No. CR-23-01322-PHX-JAT.

United States v. Carlos Rene Montes and Miguel Angel Sesma: Carlos Rene Montes, 32, a United States Citizen from Tucson, and Miguel Angel Sesma, 30, a legal permanent resident from Mexico living in Phoenix, were charged on Tuesday by federal criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl after agents seized a combined total of approximately 700,000 blue M30 pills from Sesma’s truck and Montes’ residence. According to the criminal complaint, on March 10, 2025, DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force (EVDETF) investigators observed Montes drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee into a Phoenix store parking lot and park next to a white Ford F250 bearing Sonora license plates. After speaking briefly with Sesma, the driver of the Ford F250, Montes transferred factory-sealed packages of roofing shingles from his vehicle to the bed of the Ford F250. After Montes left the parking lot, EVDETF investigators conducted traffic stops on both the Jeep Cherokee and Ford F250. A Mesa Police Department Canine Detective conducted an open-air sniff of the Ford F250 and alerted to narcotics in the vicinity of the truck bed. Investigators searched Sesma’s truck and seized approximately 52 kilograms (114 pounds) of blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl, which were concealed in the roofing shingles. Sesma and Montes were subsequently placed under arrest. According to the criminal complaint, Montes advised investigators that he possessed more drugs at his residence in Tucson. During a consensual search of Montes’ residence, investigators seized approximately 14.68 kilograms of blue M30 pills (32 pounds) containing fentanyl. Case No. 25-MJ-6099-PHX-ASB.

A criminal complaint and criminal indictment are simply methods 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.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-00392-PHX-DLR
                                      CR-23-01322-PHX-JAT
                                      25-MJ-6099-PHX-ASB           

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-036_March 14 Immigration Enforcement

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Steven Beltran-Lugo, 19, of Glendale, was sentenced on March 11, 2025, by United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 38 months in prison for his role in transporting two illegal aliens in March 2024, one of whom suffered fatal injuries after jumping out of the vehicle while it was moving. Beltran-Lugo pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person and Resulting in Death on October 1, 2024.

On March 6, 2024, Beltran-Lugo and his co-defendant, Cesar Velazquez-Munoz, picked up two illegal aliens near the border to transport them further into the United States. Beltran-Lugo was riding as a passenger in the front seat of the vehicle, and he was on the phone with a Phoenix-based smuggling coordinator throughout the event. When law enforcement began to follow the vehicle, the victim aliens were told to get out of the vehicle. One of the victims then jumped out of the vehicle while it was still moving at about 45 miles per hour. The driver accelerated as the second victim exited the moving vehicle and hit the pavement, causing a brain hemorrhage and internal bleeding. The victim eventually succumbed to these injuries and passed away at the hospital two days later. Cesar Velazquez-Munoz is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2025.

The sentencing is the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with DHS, has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, District of Arizona, District of New Mexico, and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; Office of Enforcement Operations; and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 355 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 300 U.S. convictions; more than 250 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

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

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-01674-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-035_Beltran-Lugo

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – On March 4, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a four-count superseding indictment against Jorge Fontes-Garcia, 25, an illegal alien from Sonora, Mexico, for Bringing an Illegal Alien to the United States Unlawfully Resulting in Death, Conspiracy to Bring Illegal Aliens to the United States Unlawfully, Bringing Illegal Aliens to the United States Unlawfully, and Reentry of Removed Alien.

The superseding indictment alleges that on August 23, 2023, Fontes-Garcia acted as the foot guide, leading a group of eight aliens across the Mexico-United States border into southern Arizona. United States Border Patrol apprehended all but one of the illegal aliens in the open desert approximately 19 miles south of Tacna, Arizona. The remaining alien was found by Border Patrol agents shortly thereafter, already deceased due to excessive heat exposure.

A conviction for Bringing Illegal Aliens to the United States Unlawfully Resulting in Death carries a maximum penalty of death or up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A conviction for Conspiracy to Bring Illegal Aliens to the United States Unlawfully and Bringing Illegal Aliens to the United States Unlawfully each carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and fine of up to $250,000. A conviction for Reentry of Removed Alien carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

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.

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

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01322-PHX-JAT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-034_Fontes-Garcia

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Carlos Rene Montes, 32, a United States Citizen from Tucson, and Miguel Angel Sesma, 30, a legal permanent resident from Mexico living in Phoenix, were charged on Tuesday by federal criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl after agents seized a combined total of approximately 700,000 blue M30 pills from Sesma’s truck and Montes’ residence. 

According to the criminal complaint, on March 10, 2025, DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force (EVDETF) investigators observed Montes drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee into a Phoenix store parking lot and park next to a white Ford F250 bearing Sonora license plates. After speaking briefly with Sesma, the driver of the Ford F250, Montes transferred factory-sealed packages of roofing shingles from his vehicle to the bed of the Ford F250.

After Montes left the parking lot, EVDETF investigators conducted traffic stops on both the Jeep Cherokee and Ford F250. A Mesa Police Department Canine Detective conducted an open-air sniff of the Ford F250 and alerted to narcotics in the vicinity of the truck bed. Investigators searched Sesma’s truck and seized approximately 52 kilograms (114 pounds) of blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl, which were concealed in the roofing shingles. Sesma and Montes were subsequently placed under arrest.

According to the criminal complaint, Montes advised investigators that he possessed more drugs at his residence in Tucson. During a consensual search of Montes’ residence, investigators seized approximately 14.68 kilograms of blue M30 pills (32 pounds) containing fentanyl.

Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute More than 400 grams of Fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000.

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

The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force which is comprised of partners from: the Mesa Police Department, the Gilbert Police Department, the Apache Junction Police Department, the Salt River Police Department and the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           25-MJ-6099-PHX-ASB
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-033_Montes et al.

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Nathan Isaiah Solano, 23, of Tolleson, was convicted by a federal jury last week of one count of Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and two counts of Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit. The guilty verdicts came after a three-day jury trial before United States District Judge James A. Soto. Solano’s sentencing is set for May 21, 2025.

On September 19, 2023, Solano was driving north on Arizona State Route 85, near the United States-Mexico border. Solano picked up two individuals who were waiting for him in the desert brush off the side of the highway. The individuals later admitted they were illegal aliens. A foot guide traveling with the illegal aliens helped load them into the back of the Solano’s Jeep before returning to Mexico. Border Patrol agents began to follow Solano, eventually conducting an immigration stop. They found the two illegal aliens lying curled up in the rear cargo area of the Jeep. Solano told authorities he had simply picked up a couple of hitchhikers. A jury rejected that claim and found Solano guilty of all three felony counts.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Micah Schmit and Jennifer Berman, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01585-TUC-JAS
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-032_Solano

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from March 1, 2025, through March 7, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona has brought immigration-related criminal charges against 227 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 92 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 120 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 12 cases against 15 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. Gerardo Tejada-Calleja: On March 3, 2025, the United States charged by criminal complaint Edwin Santiago Marquez Flores with Assault on a Federal Officer in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a), and Improper Entry by an Alien in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(1). On March 2, 2025, a United States Border Patrol agent responded to a report of suspected illegal aliens in the area of Vamori, Arizona. When an agent approached the area, Tejada-Calleja was found hiding under a tree, attempting to evade apprehension. Tejada-Calleja ran down a wash upon seeing the agent. After a brief pursuit, Tejada-Calleja and another individual were found hiding under a tree and some brush. During attempts to apprehend the two individuals, the agent reached for his radio to let other agents know he needed assistance. Tejada-Calleja grabbed the agent’s gun belt area and his radio in an attempt to rip it out of the agent’s hands. During the assault, Tejada-Calleja wrapped his arms around the agent, taking him down to the ground backwards and onto his back. Tejada-Calleja and the other individual were able to evade apprehension again until they were subsequently captured and taken into custody. Case No. 25-4720 MJ.

United States v. Jimenez-Aguilar: Edgar Guadalupe Jimenez-Aguilar, an illegal alien living in Phoenix, was indicted last week for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens in violation of 8 U.S.C. §§ 1324(a)(1)(A)(v)(I), (a)(1)(A)(ii), (a)(1(B)(i), and Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 8411(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B)(i). Jimenez-Aguilar was identified by Border Patrol as an operator of a stash house and alien transporting coordinator. On October 3, 2024, officers with the Tohono O’odham Police Department stopped a vehicle and determined four passengers, including two in the trunk of the vehicle, were aliens unlawfully present in the United States. Officers learned that the driver had been recruited on social media, had participated in multiple prior smuggling ventures, and had been to Jimenez-Aguilar’s stash house to unload the aliens. On January 28, 2025, agents stopped a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Mesa and identified the driver as Jimenez-Aguilar via his Sonoran driver’s license. Inside the vehicle, agents located approximately 297 grams of black tar heroin. CR-25-00284-PHX-DJH.

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

CASE NUMBER:            25-4720 MJ
                                       CR-25-00284-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-031_March 7 Immigration Enforcement

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jose Bibiano Cabrera-Cabrera, 37; Jesus Humberto Limon-Lopez, 43; and Jose Guadalupe Tapia-Quintero, 53; all of Mexico, appeared last week for their initial appearances after they were secured from Mexico on February 27, 2025.

The defendants taken into U.S. custody include leaders and managers of drug cartels recently designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas), La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and Cártel de Golfo (Gulf Cartel). These defendants are collectively alleged to have been responsible for the importation into the United States of massive quantities of poison, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, as well as associated acts of violence.

Tapia-Quintero is charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine with Intent to Import into the United States; Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine; Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; Conspiracy to Commit Promotional Money Laundering; Conspiracy to Commit Concealment Money Laundering; and Aiding and Abetting. He is facing up to life imprisonment.

Limon-Lopez is charged with Continuing Criminal Enterprise; Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, Heroin, and Cocaine; Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, Heroin, and Cocaine; Distribution of Methamphetamine; Distribution of Fentanyl; Distribution of Heroin; Distribution of Cocaine; and Conspiracy to Unlawfully Export Firearms and Ammunition. He faces up to life imprisonment.

Cabrera-Cabrera is charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, Heroin, and Cocaine; Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, Heroin, and Cocaine; and Conspiracy to Unlawfully Export Firearms and Ammunition. He faces up to life imprisonment.

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

The OCDETF Arizona Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Arizona Army National Guard, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, and the Scottsdale Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by the United States Attorney Office for the District of Arizona.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-13-00179-PHX-SRB
                                      CR-21-01864-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-030_Cabrera-Cabrera

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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TUCSON, Ariz. – Gerardo Tejada-Calleja, 22, of Mexico, was arrested by the United States Border Patrol on March 2, 2025, and charged with Assault on a Federal Officer and Illegal Entry Into the United States.

The government’s complaint alleges that, on March 2, 2025, a United States Border Patrol agent responded to a report of suspected illegal aliens in the area of Vamori, Arizona. When an agent approached the area, Tejada-Calleja was found hiding under a tree, attempting to evade apprehension. Tejada-Calleja ran down a wash upon seeing the agent. After a brief pursuit, Tejada-Calleja and another individual were found hiding under a tree and some brush. During attempts to apprehend the two individuals, the agent reached for his radio to let other agents know he needed assistance. Tejada-Calleja grabbed the agent’s gun belt area and his radio in an attempt to rip it out of the agent’s hands. During the assault, Tejada-Calleja wrapped his arms around the agent, taking him down to the ground backwards and onto his back. Tejada-Calleja and the other individual were able to evade apprehension again until they were subsequently captured and taken into custody.

United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Precup, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           25-04720MJ-1
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-029_Tejada-Calleja

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Timothy Courchaine was sworn in today as the Interim United States Attorney for the District of Arizona. United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine was appointed to the position by Attorney General Pam Bondi on February 28, 2025.

As Interim United States Attorney, Mr. Courchaine supervises the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in the District of Arizona in which the United States has an interest. He leads a staff of approximately 350 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across Arizona. The District of Arizona serves over seven million residents.

Mr. Courchaine began his service to the District of Arizona in 2020 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.  During his time with the office, Mr. Courchaine has handled numerous criminal cases related to border crimes and the predatory actions of Mexican-based cartels in the Southwest Border and OCDETF sections. 

Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Courchaine served in the United States Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate and left the service as a Captain. He then served as a law clerk to the Honorable William G. Montgomery on the Arizona Supreme Court from 2019 to 2020.

Mr. Courchaine received his J.D., from the University of Alabama in 2014 and his B.A. from California State University, Long Beach, in 2011.
 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-028_Timothy Courchaine

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, a grand jury returned an indictment against Edgar Guadalupe Jimenez-Aguilar, an illegal alien living in Phoenix, for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin.

After an investigation, agents from Homeland Security Investigations and United States Border Patrol identified Jimenez-Aguilar as a load driver who picked up aliens in desert areas in Pinal and Pima Counties and transported them to Phoenix. Jimenez-Aguilar also operated a stash house in Phoenix used to harbor the aliens and assumed a coordinator role by recruiting others to act as load drivers.

From late 2024 through January 2025, agents interviewed other load drivers arrested for transporting aliens, who admitted Jimenez-Aguilar had recruited them. The agents also conducted surveillance on Jimenez-Aguilar and his stash house. On October 3, 2024, officers with the Tohono O’odham Police Department stopped a vehicle and determined four passengers, including two in the trunk of the vehicle, were aliens unlawfully present in the United States. 
 

Officers learned that the driver had been recruited on social media, had participated in multiple prior smuggling ventures, and had been to Jimenez-Aguilar’s stash house to unload the aliens. On January 28, 2025, agents stopped a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Mesa and identified the driver as Jimenez-Aguilar via his Sonoran driver’s license. Inside the vehicle, agents located approximately 297 grams of black tar heroin.

Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin carries a minimum penalty of five years and up to 40 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $5,000,000. Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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

The United States Border Patrol, Alien Smuggling Unit – Tucson Sector and Homeland Security Investigations – Casa Grande, Pinal and Pima County Sheriff Departments, Tohono O’odham Police Department, and Arizona Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Kubota, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-00284-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-027_Jimenez-Aguilar

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Ronald Diaz, age 41, of Tucson, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 22 months in prison. Diaz pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud on July 18, 2024.

While working as a financial advisor, Diaz engaged in a scheme to defraud one of his elderly clients. To induce the victim into the scheme, Diaz falsely represented an investment opportunity in an “annuity” that “guaranteed” a 10% return. Between November 2020 and July 2022, to disguise his scheme, Diaz directed the victim to transfer $970,000 to Diaz’s family members. Diaz then instructed his family to distribute most of the victim’s funds back to Diaz. Diaz used large portions of the victim’s money for his own personal use including: (1) gambling at casinos; (2) a down payment for a 2021 Range Rover; (3) payments for credit card debt; (4) to remodel Diaz’s family pool; (5) mortgage payments; and (6) other personal expenses. Diaz made some “interest” payments to entice the victim into providing additional money throughout the scheme. None of the victim’s money was used towards any legitimate investment. During the investigation of the case, the victim passed away. As part of his sentence, Diaz was ordered to pay the victim’s next of kin $867,510.37 for the loss the victim suffered as a result of the scheme. 

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

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-04092-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-026_Diaz

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Tyree Eugene Rideaux, 31, of Henderson, Nevada, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 132 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Rideaux pleaded guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor on September 16, 2024.   

Rideaux met the 16-year-old minor, Jane Doe, at a party in Phoenix a short time before August 15, 2021. Jane Doe traveled with Rideaux and two other females to Inglewood, California. Rideaux told Jane Doe to pretend that she was 18 years old. Once in California, Rideaux placed Jane Doe on the “blade,” an area in a city known for high rates of prostitution. Rideaux assigned a fictitious name to Jane Doe and posted commercial sex advertisements of her online for sex buyers. Jane Doe gave the money she earned to Rideaux, as he directed her to do. On August 15, 2021, Jane Doe convinced a sex buyer to take her to a hospital where she could notify police and family, who returned her home.

“Predators who traffic in teenagers and force them into prostitution to support the trafficker’s own lifestyle are deserving of the harshest sentences,” stated Rachel C. Hernandez, Acting United States Attorney. “I’m pleased with the excellent results in this case that came about through the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners and our prosecutors.”

“As law enforcement officers, we are used to handling difficult encounters, but few can prepare us for working on human trafficking investigations involving vulnerable children,” said ICE HSI Arizona Special Agent in Charge, Francisco B. Burrola. “HSI is committed to ensuring sex traffickers face the fullest extent of the law by putting them behind bars for years – significant prison time rightly awaits this trafficker.”

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

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01291-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-024_Rideaux

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Anthony Leroy Haygood, 36, of Sarasota, Florida, was sentenced last week by United States Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Rateau to two consecutive six-month sentences. The sentences will be served consecutive to Haygood’s prior federal sentences. Haygood pleaded guilty to two counts of Indecent Exposure on November 20, 2024.

Between November 2, 2023, and January 7, 2024, Haygood was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex, Tucson, in the District of Arizona. On November 2, 2023, Haygood exposed himself to a correctional officer. When directed to stop, Haygood told her, “I don’t care. I will do it again.” On January 7, 2024, Haygood called a different correctional officer to his cell and exposed himself to her.

The Bureau of Prisons conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Houston, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR 24-04388-TUC-JR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-025_Haygood

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jefferson Alejandro Lopez Alcaraz, 45, of Phoenix, was sentenced on February 13, 2025, by United States District Judge John T. Tuchi to 180 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, to run consecutive to the 60-month sentence Lopez Alcaraz is currently serving in CR-21-00451-TUC-JCH. Co-defendant, Jaime Solorio-Torres, was sentenced to 57 months in prison on March 20, 2023. 

According to court documents, on February 1, 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration was surveilling a residence in Phoenix when agents observed a Toyota Prius arrive and park on the street. Agents then observed Solorio-Torres exit the Prius carrying a white and blue cooler. He then met with Lopez Alcazar inside the residence before exiting with the cooler and placing it back inside the Prius. After Solorio-Torres drove away, agents stopped the Prius and found 6.5 kilograms of fentanyl pills inside the cooler.

Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence and seized approximately 9 kilograms of fentanyl pills, 248 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 239 grams of Xanax pills, 6.6 grams of cocaine, and $26,532 in U.S. currency, along with a drug ledger and cache of six firearms. Two of the firearms had been reported stolen at the time they were seized.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart J. Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00103-PHX-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-023_Lopez Alcaraz

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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