A former Scottsdale Unified School District employee, Victor, has been arrested for allegedly smuggling four persons into the US.
John Bobbett of Scottsdale was detained on January 28 after the Tohono O’odham Police Department (TOPD) stopped him on State Route 86 near Sells, Arizona.
While patrolling, Border Patrol officials noticed Bobbett’s SUV moving in the area, a vehicle they said smugglers regularly used. According to court documents, after TOPD halted the truck, Border Patrol agents responded, and Bobbett allowed them to inspect his car.
According to court documents, agents discovered water bottles and blankets in the trunk, which the feds identified as evidence of a smuggling operation.
When asked what he was doing, Bobbett allegedly revealed that he was there to bring four individuals illegally into the United States.
Agents According to FBI documents, the scan of Bobbett’s phone revealed pinned locations along a desolate road and directions consistent with human smuggling.
After waiving his Miranda rights, Bobbett reportedly told authorities that he noticed a Snapchat story with “a lot of cash” and messaged the user to inquire about how they made the money.
The guy told Bobbett that they “needed drivers” and shifted the conversation to WhatsApp. According to court documents, Bobett was set to get a total of $12,000 for transporting the four persons.
According to the records, the recruiters then called Bobbett and informed him that they had a pickup near San Miguel, Arizona, and that he would be paid to drive people to Phoenix.
According to investigators, Bobbett recognized that the people he was picking up were “probably” in the United States illegally.
According to records, Bobbett drove from Phoenix to a grocery shop near Interstate 19, where he arranged for a pickup spot. The recruiters instructed him to park in the area, honk his horn once, and wait for the passengers he was carrying to approach his SUV.
According to federal records, he lost his way after receiving numerous additional pinned locations. He explained that his idea was to put two individuals in the back seat and two more in the trunk.
Bobbett was pulled over and arrested before finishing the pickup.
His mug shot is not available because the case is federal.
Scottsdale Unified School District informed Arizona’s Family that Bobbett was immediately placed on leave and has subsequently resigned.
Full statement from Scottsdale Unified:
“The district is aware of the arrest of an employee on allegations involving the transportation of undocumented individuals for profit. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement. The employee was immediately placed on administrative leave and has subsequently resigned.
Victor Bobbett started working in the district 2/20/2018. All appropriate hiring processes were followed. He had a clean background check, finger print clearance card and reference checks.”
Scottsdale Unified School District
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