Arizona
Arizona Just Indicted a Bunch of Trump Associates. Some Are Notably Missing.
A grand jury in Arizona has returned an indictment for several close associates of former President Donald Trump as well as lower-level individuals who served as false electors in Arizona during the 2020 presidential election. The Office of Attorney General Kris Mayes has charged all of them with a conspiracy under Arizona state law to overturn the popular vote in the state.
The list of indicted co-defendants includes seven national figures: Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn, Mike Roman, Jenna Ellis, and Christina Bobb.
The 11 other co-defendants are all the false electors in the 2020 election. That list notably includes Kelli Ward, who served as the chair of the Arizona Republican Party during the 2020 presidential election.
Notably, like Georgia, criminal trials in Arizona can be publicly broadcast.
Some highlights follow.
The Conspicuous Absence of Donald Trump
The Arizona indictment raises a question. How is it possible that Trump’s two alter egos have been indicted but the former president—the ego in that equation—has not?
The two alter egos are Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Trump’s absence from the indicted co-defendants list is all the more puzzling since Trump is identifiable as “Unindicted Coconspirator 1” in the attorney general’s court filings. Coincidentally, on Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office testified in that state’s court that Trump, Meadows, and Giuliani are “unindicted co-conspirators” in the Michigan state prosecution of false electors.
A great deal of evidence shows that Meadows and Giuliani helped lead the multipronged efforts to overturn the election, acting on behalf of Trump.
Giuliani
The federal indictment of Trump, for example, refers to Giuliani as “Co-Conspirator 1,” including for his allegedly helping orchestrate—on behalf of Trump—the false electors scheme across the seven swing states, including Arizona. The federal indictment also states that Trump worked directly with Giuliani in pressuring Arizona state officials to overturn the popular vote, including calling the Republican Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Rusty Bowers, in which they “made knowingly false claims of election fraud aimed at interfering with the ascertainment of and voting by Arizona’s electors.”
Meadows
The Jan. 6 House Select Committee final report has the greatest details of Meadows’ deep involvement in the false electors scheme on behalf of Trump. For Meadows, indicted in Georgia, his own court filings in that state claim—or admit—that he was acting in service of the then president.
One can only speculate as to why Trump might be excluded from but the other two men included in the Arizona indictment. One reason might have to do with direct evidence for Meadows and Giuliani that is lacking for Trump—especially as the former president acted in part through them as intermediaries and conduits. Another reason may be the exercise of “prosecutorial discretion.” Yet another could be that prosecutors submitted the question to the jury but an insufficient number of jurors approved of charging the former president. Or it could be some other reason entirely.
Tuesday’s indictment may not be the final word on whether Trump will be indicted in Arizona. Another shoe may have yet to drop. But the current situation cries out for an explanation of how Trump’s two key agents—Giuliani and Meadows—are included in the list of indicted individuals but Trump himself is not.
The Conspicuous Absence of Kenneth Chesebro
Kenneth Chesebro has properly been called “a chief architect” of the false electors scheme. He is identifiable as Co-Conspirator 5 in the federal indictment of Trump, and he has pleaded guilty in the prosecution in Fulton County, Georgia.
Chesebro has so far escaped prosecution in other states where false electors are under indictment. His protection from prosecution appears to be on the basis that he “cooperated” with those investigations. However, recent investigative reporting by CNN and others has revealed that Chesebro apparently made false statements to state prosecutors in Michigan and Nevada while feigning cooperation with their respective criminal investigations of false electors. (See also this analysis of flaws with his proffer agreement in Georgia.)
That all is now fairly well known to close observers of these cases. Why, then, the Arizona indictment excludes Chesebro is a mystery. Prosecutors in Michigan and Nevada have decided not to seek indictments of anyone at the national level and instead focused only on false electors in their states. But in Arizona that’s different, as the prosecutors have now charged several out-of-state individuals who were involved in the nationally coordinated effort to overturn the election results. But not Chesebro. Earlier reports were that Chesebro was “cooperating” with the Arizona prosecutors, and that may explain it.
The Indictment of Boris Epshteyn and Christina Bobb
Two new figures have been added to the list of Trump’s associates now under indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the presidential election: Boris Epshteyn and Christina Bobb.
In the federal indictment, it appears that Epshteyn may be unindicted “Co-Conspirator 6” (see this analysis by the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, and Luke Broadwater). In the Fulton County indictment, previous analysis at Just Security identified Epshteyn as most likely one of the unindicted co-conspirators (“Individual 3”).
A Potential Trump Presidency and Pressure on Defendants to Flip
Criminal defendants in the Arizona 2020 election interference prosecution, as well as elsewhere, like Fulton County, Georgia, may have reasons to flip and cooperate with prosecutors due to the prospect of a Trump presidency.
A president cannot issue pardons for state crimes, and his or her control over the Department of Justice does not extend to state law enforcement authorities. The state-level prosecutions of false electors and other Trump associates—in Arizona and elsewhere—will accordingly proceed whether or not Trump wins election. But he himself has a high likelihood of being deemed immune (by the Supreme Court if it comes to that) from state and local criminal prosecutions while in office. In other words, co-defendants and co-conspirators may be left holding the bag. That dawning reality may create incentives for some of these individuals to cooperate with law enforcement authorities sooner than later.
Arizona State has added Michael White to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. White will join the program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I am incredibly honored to return to my home state and join this elite program,” White said. “I’m proud to say that I am coming home. I can’t thank Coach Herbie enough for the opportunity to join his incredible staff and help these young athletes grow and develop into the best individuals they can be. There are so many friends and mentors who have left their mark on this program, and I’m excited for the opportunity to leave mine and help take this program to new heights. Go Devils!”
White arrives with the Sun Devils after most recently spending the last three seasons with Alabama as an assistant. The Alabama women finished 11th at the 2026 NCAA Championships while the men were 24th.
Prior to arriving at Alabama, White spent the 2022-2023 season as a volunteer assistant at Wisconsin. He primarily coached the freestyle, breaststroke and distance groups for the Badgers. In addition to coaching the Badgers, he also was an assistant senior coach with the Madison Aquatics Club for the year. He began his coaching career at Juniata College in Pennsylvania as a volunteer assistant from 2019-2021.
White spent his collegiate career at St. Bonaventure in New York. There he was a 7x individual Atlantic-10 champion and swam to three school records as a senior with a 1:47.30 200 IM, 3:52.18 400 IM, and a 1:47.70 200 fly. He also was team captain for two season and helped the team capture the 2014 A-10 team title.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native will return to his home state. He was a 2012 AIA Division I state champion in the 100 breast and 200 IM as a senior for Dobson High School.
White joins the coaching staff led by head coach Herbie Behm, who is already known to be an innovative coach. Behm spoke of White’s innovation as well saying, “Mike is one of the best young coaches in the NCAA. His interview blew me away with the innovative ideas he presented. I can’t wait to start implementing those ideas and continue our growth at ASU.”
Arizona State swept the 2026 Big 12 team titles, and the men went on to finish 4th at 2026 NCAAs while the women were 37th. Rising senior Ilya Kharun captured the NCAA title in the 200 fly with a 1:37.66.
Arizona is ranked 18th in the nation when it comes to racial equality in the classroom, according to WalletHub.
The personal finance website compiled its 2026 list of Best States for Racial Equality in Education by looking at differences between Black and white students when it comes to test scores, college attainment and high school graduation rates.
The rankings are based on a weighted average of six metrics, but did WalletHub not provide a breakdown of each category.
However, statistics from the Center for the Future of Arizona support the idea that Arizona has work to do when it comes to racial equality. African American students in Arizona have an average college attainment rate of 38%, while white students have an average rate of 54%.
That difference is also evident in other education areas, with a gap of 11 percentage points between Black and white high schoolers in graduation rate.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo called the high school graduation rate the most “alarming” data set for the Arizona. He said if the study included the state’s large Hispanic population, the results might have been different.
“It would be interesting, if those numbers were included, where the gaps would be. Again, Arizona has a high Hispanic population, as [does] New Mexico, and New Mexico was at number three. So maybe Arizona could take a look at what their neighbors are doing there to kind of bridge those gaps,” he said.
How can Arizona increase racial equality in the classroom?
Lupo said Arizona can boost its ranking and improve racial equality in schools by increasing the representation and funding for public education.
“One thing [to] do is to build more diversity within the school system. More Black administrators and more Black teachers kind of create more of a familiarity for Black students and more mentors. … Increased funding and a more concerted effort to increase diversity among the school systems, I think, would go a long way in bridging that gap,” he said.
WalletHub ranked Wyoming, West Virginia and New Mexico as the best states for racial equality in the classroom, with New Jersey, Connecticut and Wisconsin at the bottom of the list.
Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.
Hundreds of providers suspected to have defrauded Arizona Medicaid program
On May 16, 2023, AHCCCS suspended payment to more than 100 providers who are alleged to have defrauded Arizona’s Medicaid program millions of dollars.
Mark Henle, The Republic
A Phoenix federal judge on June 1 gave a New River couple multi-year prison sentences for deliberately defrauding Arizona’s Medicaid program of $12 million.
Thvoughn Lynden Curry and his wife, A’lexis Daneen Curry, who were both 34 as of Feb. 1, according to the federal government, were first arrested in 2023 in connection with massive fraud that bilked Arizona’s Medicaid program out of an estimated $2.5 billion. The schemes disproportionately targeted vulnerable Native Americans trying to get sober from alcohol and drug dependence.
In some cases, patients were plied with drugs and alcohol while they stayed at so-called sober living homes to keep the scheme going. A class action lawsuit filed in 2024 alleges extreme harm and wrongful deaths from the schemes.
The couple received slightly different sentences connected with the same fraud scheme that involved their Mesa-based “1 Family Clinic, LLC” billing Medicaid for services they never provided.
During the June 1 sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow told Thvoughn that because of a prior criminal history, he will be going to prison for 7.3 years, while his wife will be imprisoned for a shorter time of 5.8 years. The couple has six children, including four that they had together, and three of the children are under age five, according to court records and testimony during the sentencing.
Snow told A’lexis Curry that he wished he could do something for her children, “but I don’t know how.” The crime she committed is just “too serious” and deserves a significant sentence of incarceration, he said.
Snow sentenced the Currys individually. He asked each if they had anything they wanted to say to the court, and both said no. Neither showed any emotion when they were sentenced.
The couple was out of custody and in street clothes during the sentencing, and Snow is allowing them to be at home with their family for 21 days before they must self-surrender and start serving their sentences.
The couple asked that they be incarcerated at a facility near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which is in the vicinity of where A’lexis Curry’s mother lives and where their children will be staying.
Prosecutors say that when A’lexis applied to enroll as an Arizona Medicaid provider, there was a warrant out for Thvoughn’s arrest on felony fraud charges. A’lexis told Medicaid that she would be the sole owner of 1 Family Clinic, but investigators say Thvoughn was an owner, too.
Prosecutors said that between approximately Feb. 1, 2021, and March 31, 2023, the Currys routinely billed Arizona’s Medicaid program for services that were not actually provided. Throughout the course of the scheme, the Currys billed an average of more than 12 hours of service per member per day despite being open just eight hours per day on weekdays, five hours on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays, the government said.
Both were convicted Feb. 20 after a four-day bench trial of one count of conspiracy to commit health-care fraud, three counts of health-care fraud, and eight counts of transactional money laundering.
Snow ordered the duo to pay restitution of $12 million to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, known as AHCCCS, which is the state’s Medicaid program. Medicaid is a government health insurance program primarily for low-income people or those who have disabilities.
The husband and wife must also forfeit several properties to the U.S. government, including the nearly 4,000 square-foot six-bedroom, four-bathroom house where they have been living with their family. The home is valued at nearly $900,000.
Other items that the couple purchased with AHCCCS money included vacations, a 2021 Range Rover, a 2022 Mercedes LT GLE 43 C4 and a 2019 Lamborghini Urus for more than $300,000, prosecutors said. Federal court records indicate the couple filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2024.
Both the state of Arizona and the federal government have filed charges against multiple defendants in connection with the AHCCCS fraud, which was first disclosed to the public at a multi-agency press conference in 2023.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona has charged 12 defendants in cases related to the fraud, and at least seven, including the Curry couple, have already been sentenced. Thvoughn Curry received the longest sentence of any federal defendant to date, court records show.
Snow told Thvoughn that what he’d done was “quite dishonest and quite devastating.” It was also deliberate and went on for a long time, he said.
Among the federal defendants whose cases are still pending is Farrukh Jarar Ali, a 41-year-old citizen of Pakistan who was indicted in 2025 for wire fraud and money laundering in connection with an alleged $650 million scheme involving at least 41 substance abuse treatment clinics in Arizona, prosecutors say.
Another federal defendant connected with the Arizona Medicaid schemes is Rita Anagho, a former nurse practitioner who, on May 29, 2025, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health-care fraud and wire fraud. Anagho also faced state charges and, on May 6 in Maricopa County Superior Court, was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. Anagho’s nursing license was revoked last year.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has indicted 140 individuals and entities connected to the widespread fraud and 41 individuals and entities have been convicted, the office reported in May.
Reach health-care reporter Stephanie Innes at stephanie.innes@usatodayco.com or follow her on X: @stephanieinnes or on Bluesky: @stephanieinnes.bsky.social.
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