By living, working, and reporting in south Texas (easily over 100 business and personal trips into Mexico), it is not so difficult to understand the Mexican culture way of doing business.

Generally speaking, the “mordida” (bribe) remains deep and permeates most every aspect of life. I learned that taking the time for developing relationships is important.  That culture is especially strong on the southern border and has deep roots.

In April 1976, I was honored to meet investigative reporter Don Bolles of the Arizona Republic newspaper.

As a journalism student, I won the Investigative Reporter of the Year Award at the annual Rocky Mountain Collegiate Association conference in Tucson. As a result, it was exciting to dine with Mr. Bolles, who was prominently known for his coverage of organized crime in Phoenix.

He was a tall man, appeared fit, and gracious to offer insight into corruption, politics, the art of interviewing, and the “Arizona culture.”

“Phoenix has a good deal of mafia activity,” Bolles mentioned. “There’s at least a couple of hundred mafia gang members in Arizona, but here in Tucson, it’s the drug smuggling and distribution capitol.”

“Mafioso say they retire from Chicago or New York to live quietly out West,” he said. “Nonsense. They retire when they’re dead.”

He seemed a touch disenchanted with corruption in politics, but Bolles was a Pulitzer Prize nominee, so I asked many questions.  He told me about a bronze plaque in the building (Record-Gazette, I think) he worked at:

IF YOU FORGET EVERYTHING ELSE I’VE SAID, REMEMBER THIS—AMERICA IS GREAT ONLY BECAUSE AMERICA IS FREE. –Eugine Pullam

“America is not so free if we allow politicians to be so corrupt,” he said. It stuck with me.

My journalism instructor from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State), Jeff Henderson, sat at the table and offered feedback later. He mentioned Mr. Bolles seemed somewhat burned out and frustrated.

Two months later, while Bolles was prepared to meet with an informant about land dealings (between Senator Barry Goldwater, Congressman Sam Steiger, other politicians and mafia), he was injured by a detonated bomb secured to his car. He died 11 days later on June 13, 1976.

It was February 23, 2023 when the Arizona Legislature’s Senate Elections Committee and House Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee held a joint hearing.

The highlight of this event included sworn testimony from several people involved in investigating the voter disenfranchisement that occurred in 2020 and 2022.

Testimony by forensic investigator Jacqueline Breger shook the core of the hearing as the epicenter of corruption was revealed with names provided.

Among the officials she outed were Governor Katie Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. 

The evidence showed, that within this racketeering, over 30 elected and appointed officials had connections with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Representative Liz Harris of Arizona’s 13th legislative district, who invited Breger to testify, was later forced out of office.

Breger’s documentation implicated many bribes accepted by officials and operatives which included:

●Mayor John Giles,

● 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,

● 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,

● 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,

● Judge Marvin Davis

● Madison Hughes,

● Judge Bruce Cohen,

● Judge Richard Nothwehr,

● Judge Michael D Barth,

● Judge Brian Kaiser,

● Police Officer Jacob G Rossler,

● Police Detective in Town of Gilbert, Brian Bullock,

● Police Detective in Town of Gilbert, David Ferer.

Breger explained that the investigation into the racketeering began several years before 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 testified the Maricopa County database has absolutely no integrity and that racketeering enterprises are inextricably intertwined with election fraud.

Breger showed 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 also revealed that all three state universities’ computer systems have been hacked, with degrees forged for individuals who never graduated.

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’s investigation proof also showed 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.

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 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.

In August 2023, a majority stake of ownership with Runbeck Election Services was sold to Mihai Toma, the brother of Arizona House speaker Ben Toma.

Mihai Toma is the president and CEO of Black Mountain Investment Company of which Lincoln Shields is a subsidiary.

Required financial disclosure reports reveal that Ben Toma had a direct interest of more than $100,000 in the Black Mountain Investment Company. A few days after this news became public, he said he divested himself of his financial stake in Black Mountain.

Two of Ben Toma’s brothers, Mihai Toma and Andrei Toma, join Runbeck’s CEO Ellison on the board of Precision Aero, a contractor within the military-industrial complex. Ellington is Chairman, Mihai Toma is President, and Andrei Toma is Secretary.

In early March 2024, State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, vice chair of the House Elections Committee, and State Sen. Wendy Rogers, chair of the Senate Elections Committee,  shared in a press release that Runbeck Election Services entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) guaranteeing an observation program, software audits, an election workflow report from RES, and access to 2022 election data. 

☆☆☆☆☆

IN GOD WE TRUST

Thanks for supporting independent true journalism with a small tip. Dodie & Jack

---

Green Pasture Here!

Use Code CLEVER10 for a 10% discount on other Green Pasture products today!

CLICK HERE for GOOD HEALTH!

GREENPASTURE.ORG

☆☆☆☆☆