Tag: Arizona
William Wilson, Laser Pointing, Arizona 2025
⏱ 2 min read William Wilson, a 56-year-old man from Buckeye, Arizona, pleaded guilty to aiming a laser pointer at US Air Force F-35 fighter jets between September 2024 and January 2025. The reckless actions of Wilson put the lives of military pilots at risk, and he was caught after an FBI surveillance plane captured…
Jorge Luis Castro-Mercado, Kingpin Drug Trafficking, Arizona 2026
Tucson, Arizona – Jorge Luis Castro-Mercado, 51, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was arrested earlier this month by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nogales Special Agents as he tried to cross the border into the United States from Mexico. Castro-Mercado faces federal charges related to drug trafficking from an indictment in March. On March 11, a federal…
Alejandro Montemayor, Aiding and Abetting Straw Purchasing, Arizona 2022
⏱ 2 min read Alejandro Montemayor, the 33-year-old owner of AV AZ Firearms in Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting straw purchasing and failing to report cash payments over $10,000. Between January 6, 2022, and May 29, 2024, Montemayor facilitated the straw purchase of at least 72 firearms, which were then transferred to…
Susie Kamien, Health Care Fraud, Arizona 2026
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine announced criminal charges against four defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs of over $1.2 billion. The charges filed in federal court are part of the National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges announced today by U.S.…
Raphel Samone Crosby, Indecent Exposure, Arizona 2026
⏱ 2 min read Raphel Samone Crosby, a 34-year-old federal inmate, exposed himself to correctional officers on multiple occasions at the Federal Correctional Complex in Tucson, Arizona. The incidents led to Crosby’s guilty plea on two counts of indecent exposure. On June 9, 2026, U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric J. Markovich sentenced Crosby to 10 months…
James Morris Wilckens, Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl, Arizona 2026
Phoenix, Ariz. – A Globe, Arizona, man has been sentenced to 4 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. James Morris Wilckens, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi to 48 months in prison to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. During a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF)…
Johney Lynn Hammond, Abusive Sexual Contact with Children, Arizona 2026
A Tucson man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the abuse of children under the age of nine on the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Tucson, Arizona. Johney Lynn Hammond, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Angela M. Martinez on May 26, 2026, to 18 years in federal prison,…
Armani Ryan Purandah, Bank Fraud and Identity Theft, Arizona 2026
Tucson Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Running Multi-State Identity Theft and Bank Fraud Ring TUCSON, Ariz. – Armani Ryan Purandah, 27, of Los Angeles, was recently sentenced by U.S. District Judge Angela Martinez to 70 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud. Purandah,…
Gabriel Mendoza-Acoltzi, Arson, Arizona 2026
⏱ 2 min read Gabriel Mendoza-Acoltzi, a 19-year-old from Avondale, Arizona, attempted to set fire to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) property in Surprise, Arizona, on February 21, 2026. Mendoza-Acoltzi broke a window and tried to light the building on fire using a propane tank and a long torch. The incident occurred just…
Brandon Aaron Kreutz, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Arizona 2026
Tucson Man Charged with Defrauding Investors of $10.9 Million A 40-year-old Oro Valley man has been charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering for allegedly defrauding investors of approximately $10.9 million through a business scheme. Brandon Aaron Kreutz, formerly known as Brandon Aaron Moushey, was arrested on May 2026 and made an initial appearance in…
