On June 10, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix issued a three-count indictment against Jose Sarinana, 42, and Abran Villa, Jr., 40. Both men are residents of Chandler, Arizona. They face charges of assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal officers.
The incident occurred on June 1, 2025. FBI agents were assisting ICE/ERO with immigration enforcement operations when they pulled over Villa’s vehicle and arrested the passenger for being illegally present in the United States. After the arrest, Villa informed Sarinana about the situation. The two men then returned to the scene of the arrest.
As an FBI agent involved in the operation was leaving the area, Sarinana allegedly followed him and attempted to run him off the road. The agent called for backup and multiple FBI agents arrived at the scene to stop Sarinana.
During this pursuit, Villa reportedly used his truck to block one of the agents’ cars and revved his engine to obstruct their exit from a parking lot. He left after another agent called for assistance.
After detaining Sarinana successfully, Villa reappeared at high speed in his truck towards the group of agents but stopped before reaching them. He pointed his truck at them while revving his engine but complied with commands after several agents drew their firearms. He was taken into custody without further incident.
A conviction on these charges could result in up to 20 years in prison, five years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America. This initiative by the Department of Justice aims to address illegal immigration and combat cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that does not imply guilt. Individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury.
The FBI is leading this investigation with Assistant U.S. Attorney Addison Owen from Phoenix handling prosecution duties.
