BROOKLYN, NY – A senior member of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), Julio Cesar Montero Pinzon, also known as “El Tarjetas,” “Moreno,” “El Chess,” “Cesar Hernandez Jimenez,” and “CH Jimenez,” and his half-sister, Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzon, are facing federal charges in Brooklyn for their roles in a sprawling international fraud scheme. The scheme targeted American timeshare owners in Mexico, allegedly funneling the illicit profits directly to the CJNG, now designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
The indictment, unsealed today, charges both Montero Pinzon and Arredondo Pinzon with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. But the charges against Montero Pinzon go further: he’s also accused of conspiracy to provide and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization – a damning allegation that paints a picture of fraud directly funding violence. The CJNG, a transnational criminal group based in Mexico, was officially designated as a FTO and Specially Designated Global Terrorist on February 20, 2025.
According to federal prosecutors, Montero Pinzon continued the timeshare fraud and the laundering of funds *after* the CJNG’s FTO designation, demonstrating a deliberate and knowing effort to support a terrorist organization. Attorney General Pamela Bondi minced no words, stating, “This senior leader of a foreign terrorist organization allegedly defrauded innocent citizens to fuel terrorism against the American people. The CJNG and other cartels are on notice: no scheme, plot, or conspiracy will evade the reach of this Justice Department.”
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Nocella, detailed the scope of the alleged scheme. “As alleged, Montero Pinzon and Arredondo Pinzon filled the coffers of a violent foreign terrorist and narcotics trafficking organization through a sophisticated fraud scheme that victimized thousands of American timeshare owners,” Nocella said. “CJNG funds its criminal terrorist operations using multiple tactics, from trafficking dangerous narcotics to executing complex fraud schemes.”
The investigation, a joint effort involving the FBI, DEA, and IRS-CI, reveals a cartel evolving beyond traditional drug trafficking, expanding into complex financial crimes. FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia emphasized the cartel’s adaptability, stating, “For more than a decade, Julio Montero Pinzon, a senior CJNG cartel leader, and Griselda Arredondo Pinzon allegedly defrauded timeshare owners before laundering the illicit proceeds to fund their terrorist organization. This alleged scheme spanned the globe and exploited thousands of victims, reflecting the cartel’s evolution of developing various mechanisms for criminal financing.”
While both Montero Pinzon and Arredondo Pinzon are currently Mexican nationals and remain at large, federal authorities are vowing to pursue them relentlessly. The case underscores the growing threat posed by transnational criminal organizations like the CJNG, which are increasingly blending drug trafficking with sophisticated financial crimes and, most alarmingly, direct support for terrorism. This isn’t just about stolen vacation dreams; it’s about funding an organization actively working to destabilize and harm the United States.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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