A Mexican national was sentenced to prison for leading a human smuggling operation.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash sentenced Martin Garcia-Velazquez to 90 months in federal prison “for his leadership role in a criminal conspiracy to transport and harbor at least 1,000 undocumented noncitizens over several years.” On September 20, 2023, Garcia-Velazquez pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit.
According to the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Arizona, Garcia-Velazquez “admitted that he organized the transportation of undocumented noncitizens from the Mexico border to houses in and around Phoenix.” The announcement also revealed that Homeland Security Investigations agents “seized and forfeited from organization members over $1 million” – in addition to firearms, ammunition, and vehicles.
Garcia-Velazquez is 42 years-old. He comes from San Antonio, Michoacan, Mexico.
Other co-conspirators of the operation have been sentenced in federal court.
The investigation and prosecution resulted from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation and Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The news bulletin from the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that OCDETF “identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.” The Office also shared that JTFA “was established to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A popular “superfan” of the Phoenix Suns and high school basketball coach, “Mr. ORNG,” was arrested on Wednesday on charges of soliciting minors for sexual content.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Mr. ORNG, 37-year-old Patrick Battillo, had been arrested following notification to the Peoria Police Department of a sexual offense investigation into Battillo at his alma mater, Peoria High School (PHS), where he served as head coach of the boys basketball team.
The investigation concerned reports that Battillo had solicited minors for sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. In return, Battillo allegedly offered money to the minors.
Battillo was charged with luring a minor for sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking, both classified as felonies. Luring a minor for sexual exploitation qualifies as a class 3 felony, which carries a prison sentence ranging from two to eight years in prison. Child sex trafficking qualifies as a class 2 felony, which carries a prison sentence ranging from 13 to 27 years for first offenders.
Battillo wasn’t the only one arrested on Wednesday in relation to his alleged crimes. A coworker, 46-year-old Holly Holgate, was arrested on charges of hindering prosecution and failure to report the neglect of a minor. According to a statement from Peoria Unified School District (PUSD), Holgate warned Battillo that police were coming for him so that Battillo could leave the school. Holgate had worked at Peoria High School for over 20 years.
Battillo began coaching at PHS in 2016, starting out as an assistant coach for the varsity team. PUSD indicated that Batillo’s fingerprint and background check came back clear. Holgate’s fingerprint clearance was also up to date.
Holgate was the club sponsor for Jobs For Arizona Graduates, a club helping sophomores and juniors make career transitions. In 2020, Holgate was awarded the “Pride of Peoria” by PUSD for being “a selfless server of students, always willing to go the extra mile, always looking out for all of the interests of the students.”
In a 2022 interview with Cronkite News, Battillo described his players as his family and noted that the boys relied on him for “comfort and guidance.”
“The relationships I have made with current and former players, fans of the Suns and at the NBA level, transcending that and those experiences of my relationships with those people to the relationship I have with my athletes, all comes full circle,” said Battillo.
Battillo said that he felt it was his duty as a coach to make men out of his players.
“Life is bigger than basketball, and all of it comes full circle,” said Battillo. “How you treat others, how you develop each other specifically at the high school level, how you develop these young men into men during this crucial transition in their life.”
As of this report, his verified X account, @PHXMRORNG, and Instagram account, @mrorng, were still active.
Battillo gained a fan following over a decade ago for showing up to Suns games with his body and hair painted entirely orange and decked out in team merchandise. His popularity would afford him opportunities to lead on a number of fundraisers and charity events over the years.
In addition to coaching PHS basketball, Battillo co-hosted the Inferno podcast through Bleav Sports. Battillo received an educational doctorate from Grand Canyon University (GCU) in 2022.
Battillo was regularly invited to speak at various schools around the Valley. His latest speaking engagement occurred last Thursday at Legacy Traditional Schools in Peoria for “ORNG Day.”
A bipartisan bill to expand health care opportunities in Arizona was signed into law.
Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs signed SB 1021, which would “remove the requirement that health professional groups proposing to increase the scope of practice of a state-regulated health profession must complete a statutory sunrise review” – according to the overview from the Arizona House of Representatives.
SB 1021, sponsored by Senator @TJShope, was signed into law!
The bill was sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope, who released a statement to mark the occasion after the governor’s action. He wrote, “Thank you Governor Hobbs for signing my SB 1021! When President Warren Petersen named me his Chair of the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services, I set out to bring more health care options to underserved communities and this bill will help by eliminating an unnecessary process that only served to enable a protectionist and non-free market point of view in healthcare delivery. Together, with over two-thirds of my colleagues in both chambers, we have broken that barrier!”
Thank you @GovernorHobbs for signing my SB1021 (Scope of Practice; Process; Repeal)! When President @votewarren named me his Chair of the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services, I set out to bring more health care options to underserved communities and this bill will help by… pic.twitter.com/mfyIuxDFb4
Shope thanked his colleagues who had assisted in supporting the proposal – Senators Shamp and Burch and Representatives Montenegro and Hernandez. He said that “we made a great team on this!”
Shamp responded to Shope’s post on “X,” saying, “Honored to be your Vice Chair and to work on good policy for the betterment of Arizonans!”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Chiropractic Defense Federation, Arizona Retailers Association, Arizona Dental Hygienists’ Association, Arizona Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Barry Goldwater Institute for Public Policy, Arizona Pharmacy Association, Arizona Optometric Association, Arizona Oral Health Coalition, and Collision Chiropractic, all endorsed the bill. Representatives from the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association, Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists, Maricopa County Medical Society, Arizona Ophthalmological Society, Arizona Medical Association, And the Arizona Chapter American College Emergency Physicians indicated their opposition to the bill.
The Arizona Medical Association had asked Governor Hobbs to veto the bill after it was sent to her desk. In a letter from almost two dozen health care organizations, the coalition informed Hobbs that “approving SB 1021 has the potential to endanger patient safety and will not advance the delivery of healthcare in Arizona.” They added that “this bill will further complicate healthcare licensing decisions by removing transparency and replacing it with lobbyist influence.”
ArMA and 19 other healthcare organizations are asking @GovernorHobbs to veto Senate Bill 1021, which seeks to repeal the Sunrise Review, a pro-patient protection against inappropriate scope of practice expansions. #SB1021 threatens patient safety by removing the requirement for… pic.twitter.com/wWSKfsuVOT
— Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) (@ArizonaMedicine) April 1, 2024
In February, the Arizona Senate had approved the legislation with a 24-4 vote (with two members not voting). After the bill was transmitted to the Arizona House, it was passed at the end of March with a 40-13 vote (with six members not voting and one seat vacant).
Jenna Bentley with the Goldwater Institute cheered on the governor’s signature. She said, “With SB 1021 now law, Arizona has removed an unnecessary burden on healthcare professionals wishing to practice at the top of their training, while still ensuring that bills are vetted by the full legislature.”
SIGNED! With SB1021 now law, Arizona has removed an unnecessary burden on healthcare professionals wishing to practice at the top of their training, while still ensuring that bills are vetted by the full legislature. @TJShope@GoldwaterInsthttps://t.co/c4aCekELbg
Governor Katie Hobbs appointed a new member to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission: Christina Estes-Werther, formerly the deputy general counsel for former Governor Jan Brewer and state elections director for former Secretary of State Ken Bennett.
In a press release last Friday, the governor explained that she selected Estes-Werther for her extensive knowledge of Arizona election law and administration.
“With her years of practical experience in elections at the state, county, and local level, I am confident that she will bring valuable insight to the Commission as it continues its important work during the 2024 election year.”
Estes-Werther most recently served as one of 18 members of Hobbs’ Bipartisan Elections Task Force, established at the beginning of last year via executive order. Estes-Werther is a partner at the Pierce Coleman law firm; she often serves as counsel for local governments in election-related lawsuits.
That task force earned the ire of some Republican lawmakers, who claimed it was the governor’s way of circumventing transparency in modifying election law and procedures. The task force issued a 69-page report last November with proposals to improve elections administration ahead of the 2024 election.
Hobbs tapped into $2.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to carry out some of the proposed changes issued by the task force. The reliance on federal funding ensured the governor had more flexibility in working around the legislature to seek out her desired reforms.
A year before being named to Hobbs’ task force, in 2022, Estes-Werther served as the privately retained counsel for Santa Cruz County in its lawsuit against an election integrity organization led by Tucsonan John Brakey, AUDIT USA, for submitting a public records request seeking the 2022 primary election’s cast vote records.
The county had sued AUDIT USA after denying the request, in an attempt to squelch further efforts by the organization to obtain the records.
In court proceedings, Estes-Werther had argued on behalf of the county that government officials had the right to sue over fears that the independent auditors’ continued public records attempts would eventually result in a lawsuit against the county.
Estes-Werther characterized AUDIT USA’s attempts at obtaining transparency as putting “a target on [the county’s] back.” A Pima County judge tossed the county’s lawsuit, declaring that Brakey and AUDIT USA had the right to challenge the denial of their public records request.
The judge, Casey McGinley, expressed concern that the county was attempting to set precedent for lawfare against private citizens seeking transparency from their government, per audio recordings obtained by Tucson Sentinel.
“What’s to stop a county from deciding that they’re going to sue a private entity, whether it’s a person or group of people, for fear that one day that person might seek a public records request that they don’t want to provide?” asked McGinley. “I think we can all imagine very nefarious scenarios that could result if a county or other government official could file a lawsuit seeking declaratory relief in response to a public records request.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega said he opposes an Arizona ice hockey team’s efforts to buy state land for a new rink in North Phoenix.
In an open letter, Ortega said the Arizona Coyotes’ plans for a new entertainment complex and arena “was presented without mention of market demand for a new entertainment venue disguised as a hockey arena, or congested highway access, or questionable arena zoning entitlement.”
“The glitzy proposal was portrayed as the last gasp to keep hockey in Arizona,” Ortega said.
The team has previously said the proposed complex would generate more than 10,000 jobs and $15.5 billion in spending over 30 years without costing taxpayers. The Coyotes currently play their home games at Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena. A proposal for a new arena in Tempe was voted down last year.
Ortega said the hundred acres that would be used for the complex near Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road would jeopardize industry in the city. He argued that water and sewer infrastructure does not exist for such a venue, saying Scottsdale’s “water assets are absolutely not available.”
He called the proposal a “fantasy” due to the team’s lagging attendance.
“I admire the hockey sport, Arizona Coyotes community involvement and phenomenal youth clubs at the Scottsdale Ice Den,” Ortega wrote. “But I along with City of Scottsdale staff will continue to monitor any actions that occur, and negative repercussions for Scottsdale. As it stands today, the fantasy hockey project must move west, away from Scottsdale.”
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
Arizona Republicans and Democrats traded insults over the status of a legislative proposal that would increase restrictions on firearms across the state.
Earlier this month, Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes expressed her outrage over the Legislature’s failure to consider HB 2791, which would have regulated guns in the hands of certain Arizonans. The bill was sponsored by Democrat State Representative Stacey Travers and co-sponsored by a bipartisan duo: Republican Kevin Payne and Democrat Laura Terech.
Mayes said, “I’m disappointed, and I’m angry that even narrowly-tailored gun violence prevention bills like the one we worked to introduce this session don’t stand a chance with our current legislature.”
I’m disappointed, and I’m angry that even narrowly-tailored gun violence prevention bills like the one we worked to introduce this session don’t stand a chance with our current legislature. pic.twitter.com/ImKfvlnXW4
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) April 2, 2024
She added, “Our bill that would’ve given us more tools to address threats of violence at our schools is not moving forward this legislative session. But we’re committed to Arizonans to keep on trying in order to protect public safety.”
The bill laid out the process by which an education protection order is filed, adjudicated, and executed in the state of Arizona. Such an order would “prohibit the defendant from possessing, controlling, using, manufacturing, or receiving a firearm for the duration of the order, [or] order the transfer of any firearm in the defendant’s possession or control, including any license or permit that allows the defendant to possess or acquire a firearm, to the appropriate law enforcement agency for the duration of the order,” or both.
Our bill that would've given us more tools to address threats of violence at our schools is not moving forward this legislative session. But we're committed to Arizonans to keep on trying in order to protect public safety. @abc15@PHayesReportspic.twitter.com/esXpqqCfHH
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) April 2, 2024
Republicans disagreed with the attorney general’s sentiments about the bill. Senate President Warren Petersen wrote, “I’m extremely proud that we blocked legislation that would make it harder for you to defend yourself from criminals and harm.”
Im extremely proud that we blocked legislation that would make it harder for you to defend yourself from criminals and harm. https://t.co/nIdSo2BVEq
Representative Alexander Kolodin also weighed in, saying, “Let Kris Mayes take your guns away? That would be a hard NO from me!”
Let Kris Mayes take your guns away? That would be a hard NOPE from me! https://t.co/EljAjdyggC
— Rep. Alexander Kolodin (@realAlexKolodin) April 2, 2024
Travers, the bill sponsor, took umbrage with Kolodin’s attack on her proposal. She argued that HB 2791 has the “same due process as current orders of protection and constitutional rights. Higher threshold to issue order, and (existing) discretionary firearm restrictions. Includes mental health component. Protects LEO, Schools, Kinds. Not reinventing the wheel. Just saving lives.”
Bill has same due process as current orders of protection and constitutional rights. Higher threshold to issue order, and (existing) discretionary firearm restrictions. Includes mental health component. Protects LEO, Schools, Kids. Not reinventing the wheel. Just saving lives.. https://t.co/opX8zPOTcC
The Democrat State Representative promised to re-introduce the bill in 2025, calling it “a great bill with huge bipartisan and community support.”
HB2791 was a great bill with huge bi partisan and community support. From LEO, Schools and Common Sense Gun Safety Advocated. I look forward to introducing it again next year. https://t.co/XbamXADN1t
