"Arizona - Sinaloa" Cartel Ties Exposed

Arizona Forensic Investigator Accuses Statewide and County Officials of Racketeering and Election Fraud Connected to Sinaloa Cartel

On Thursday February 23, 2023 the Arizona Legislature’s Senate Elections Committee and House Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee held a joint hearing. The hearing featured testimony from several people involved in researching the voter disenfranchisement that occurred in 2020 and 2022. The hearing took a dark turn when Arizona forensic investigator Jacqueline Breger took the stand and accused multiple statewide and county officials, including Governor Katie Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, of racketeering connected to the Sinaloa Cartel.

Breger’s documentation implicated over 30 elected and appointed officials who have accepted bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel. She listed the names of the officials, which included:
Judge Mesa Municipal Court Alicia Lawler,
City Councilwoman Alicia White,
City Councilman David Luna,
City Councilman Francisco Heredia,
City Councilwoman Jenn Duff,
City Auditor Joseph Lisitano,
Councilman Kevin Thompson,
Mayor John Giles,
City Attorney James (Jim) N Smith,
City Prosecutor Paul Hawkins,
City Treasurer Ryan Wimmer,
Assistant Prosecutor Sabrina DeCosta,
Chief Information Officer Travis Cutright,
Presiding Judge John P Tates,
Presiding Judge David M Cutchen,
Secretary of State / Governor Katie Hobbs,
Recorder / Secretary of State Adrian Fontes,
US Senator Kyrsten Sinema,
Congressman of 3rd Congressional District Ruben Gallego,
Speaker of the House Ben Toma,
President of Runbeck Election Services Robert Runbeck,
COO of Runbeck and COO of Precision Arrow Jeff Ellington,
Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates,
Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin,
Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman,
JA to Judge Marvin Davis Madison Hughes,
Judge Bruce Cohen,
Judge Richard Nothwehr,
Judge Michael D Barth,
Judge Brian Kaiser,
Policeman Jacob G Rossler,
Police Detective in Town of Gilbert Brian Bullock,
and Police Detective in Town of Gilbert David Ferer.

Breger’s testimony claimed that these officials accepted bribes from Adona Ray Chavez and her adopted daughter Brittany Ray Chavez, who were the key participants in the racketeering. Breger alleged that Adona and Brittany Ray Chavez facilitated the bribes of public officials and were connected to the corrupt real estate agents who have worked for the Sinaloa Cartel for over 25 years. The pair allegedly executed deeds under falsified names, including as the buyer, seller, or notary, and forged the signatures of judges. Breger said the Chavez family had laundered cash to bribe Arizona public officials and their staff.

The attached is a list of cash and stash houses in Arizona all purchased between August 2019 and March 2020:   https://www.freemckinley.com/documents-of-interest

Breger explained that the investigation into the racketeering began several years ago by looking into the laundering of drug cartel money through single-family residences in Illinois. They discovered that several real estate agents had set up laundering activities in Arizona, which was “pervasive and ongoing” in Maricopa and several other counties. Her firm represents parties damaged by money laundering. They found fake notarizations, fake deeds of trust, and straw buyers. The related crimes included narcotic sales, bankruptcy fraud, life insurance fraud, payroll fraud, extortion schemes, bribing elected officials, creating and modifying public records, swatting individuals who pose a threat to the cartel activities, and election fraud.

Breger said the Maricopa County database has absolutely no integrity whatsoever and that racketeering enterprises are inextricably intertwined with election fraud. Breger said that multiple state databases have been infiltrated or hacked, allowing falsified documents to be uploaded into them and allowing legitimate documents to be removed. She alleged that all three state universities’ computer systems have been hacked, with degrees forged for individuals who never graduated.

Turning to the Maricopa County database, Breger said the Maricopa County database for the Maricopa County Recorder and the Maricopa County Superior Court was designed in 2014 to be infiltrated. Breger revealed that hundreds of falsified documents have been loaded into the court database, including default judgments and child support orders, and used in swatting activities against individuals who posed a threat to the cartel activities.

Breger went on to say that since 2004, elections with Pima County and Maricopa County have been manipulated through the infiltration of the county databases, resulting from bribes paid to officials and election service providers, including principals of Runbeck Election Services. She said this affected the 2020 recorder’s race and the races for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state in 2022.

She implicated several public officials, including county supervisors, judges, and prosecutors within and for Maricopa County, who she claimed accepted bribes for protecting the racketeering activities. Breger estimated that at least 25 percent of the judges within Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal Counties have accepted bribes to protect the Sinaloa Cartel's interests.

Breger alleged that laundered cash is used to bribe Arizona public officials and their staff. She said over 10,000 fraudulent documents were recorded with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, and over 35,000 warranty and trust deeds evidencing fraud exist in the database. She added that there were over 15,000 falsified notarizations in the database as well.

Breger accused Adona Ray Chavez and her adopted daughter, Brittany Ray Chavez, of facilitating bribes of public officials. She said the pair allegedly executed deeds under falsified names, including as the buyer, seller, or notary, and forged the signatures of judges. According to Breger, Adona Ray Chavez and Brittany Ray Chavez have worked for the Sinaloa Cartel for over 25 years and are connected to corrupt real estate agents.

Breger alleged that Brittany Chavez moves money for candidates, in part through nonprofits. In October 2020, she said they discovered over 100,000 ballots and $13 million in two unmarked rental cars being unloaded at a home in Mesa and then driven to Runbeck Election Services. She said they found suspicious deeds for Runbeck and its President and CEO Jeff Ellington. They also found suspicious deeds for Adrian Fontes, the former Maricopa County Recorder.

Breger said she has over 500 pages of reports on officials involved in racketeering activities, and she produced copies of some of the deeds of trust for the legislators to look at. She said in their research, they found that some of the title and mortgage companies do not exist.

Breger concluded her testimony by saying that since at least 2004, ballot counts have been tampered with, and Brittany Ray Chavez moves money for candidates through nonprofits. She called on law enforcement agencies to take corrective action and work with her firm to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.