Former Santa Cruz County Councilor Felipe Fuentes was conspired to commit bona fide service wire fraud last week after receiving thousands of dollars in cash and the use of a 17-acre ranch lot in exchange for manipulating land values. admitted – holdings within the prefecture.
In federal court in Tucson on Friday, as part of a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, Fuentes, 62, told U.S. District Judge Leslie A. Bowman that he was part of a conspiracy to change the value of land. Flores admitted that in return he received at least $20,000 and had “at his disposal” the 17-acre ranch lot. The land was owned by a man identified only as Person A in court records. Another male plea bargain, identified only as Person B in Fuentes, helped further the conspiracy.
Nogales International report Fuentes was involved with local property owner Dino Panusopoulos and consultant Luis Manuel Flores, who was indicted by a federal grand jury last Wednesday. Flores was arrested Jan. 27. . report.
Flores initially faced a single count of conspiracy, but on Wednesday, a grand jury indicted him on seven counts, including wire fraud of good faith, bribery, and conspiracy to make false statements. A review of federal court records indicates that Panusopoulos was not charged in the case.
In the plea deal, Fuentes said he worked with A on certain “opportunities” to reduce his property tax assessment and reduce his tax liability.
Fuentes was elected in 1998 and served as county assessor for decades. However, prosecutors said he conspired to “fraud his good faith service” as county assessor from 2007 to October 2019 and “devise a plan to usurp Santa Cruz County.” .
Fuentes faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be executed in August.
Fuentes said in a plea bargain he reduced the value of “large” parcels from about $2 million to $1.4 million in 2018. In 2019, Fuentes changed the valuation of “a number of undeveloped townhome sites” from about $14,000 to about $2,500 per lot. It added that it helped “make sure his appeal is successful by including the language to include in the petition appealing for the property tax valuation,” adding that other local governments are helping to expedite the approval of multiple projects. I contacted an official.
According to the indictment against Flores, he worked with Fuentes to inflate the value of Preston Mobile Home Park before it was sold to the Arizona Department of Transportation as part of the expansion of Interstate 19, turning the property into a “commercial property.” It is said that it was changed to “property for “According to the indictment, Flores and Fuentes spoke on his June 21, 2019 phone call to discuss indirectly changing the valuation of the property.
During the conversation, Fuentes told Flores he had a “dilemma” and asked for help to attend his wife’s college graduation in Minnesota. He said he received another $1,000 in cash hidden in a folded newspaper before his August 2018 trip.
In the documents filed against Flores, federal officials refer to transcripts of conversations between Flores and Fuentes, as well as transcripts of conversations between Flores and Person A. Conversation between Fuentes and Flores.
“Property taxes pay for critical local government services that support our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Lestaino. “Fuentes abused his public trust when he undervalued his property and, in doing so, diverted money from Santa Cruz County for his own benefit.”
“Arizona citizens deserve a government free of corruption. The FBI will not tolerate those who abuse their positions of power and is committed to eradicating corruption and civil rights abuses in public service at all levels.” FBI Phoenix Field Office. “The FBI is continuing to investigate this case and if you have any information please offer it to the public.”
The FBI’s Southern Arizona Anti-Corruption Commission has investigated the case, Justice Department spokeswoman Esther Wynn said. The Federal Attorney’s Office’s Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Division in Tucson’s Arizona district handled the indictment, she said.
