“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat
He is believed to have been heading an extortion ring that used artificial intelligence. It wasn’t just an ordinary citizen; it was a former official from Michoacán, along with police officers and family members. They have just been arrested.
Leopoldo Espejel, how are you?
Good morning. How are you, Susana?
Very good morning.
Indeed, they were arrested as part of the national strategy against extortion—carried out by the State of Mexico Prosecutor’s Office and the federal security cabinet. The group included Luis Miranda Contreras—who served as Secretary of Finance under former Michoacán Governor Fausto Vallejo—along with his two children, his wife, and a bodyguard.
This man had previously faced legal proceedings for embezzlement in 2017 involving 26.8 million pesos. He and his family members would impersonate politicians from various institutions—ranging from the Office of the President and the Supreme Court of Justice to state governors and mayors.
Their *modus operandi* involved impersonating the voices of public officials to build trust—primarily with other officials, politicians, and businesspeople—by using artificial intelligence to mimic figures such as Lázaro Cárdenas Batel, Olga Sánchez Cordero, and Horacio Duarte, among other political personalities.
The scheme was uncovered through intelligence-led monitoring. During conversations with victims, the group would obtain confidential data—either from the agencies they oversaw or from other officials—as well as information regarding political or economic operations. They later used this data to impersonate others and extort money from their victims, primarily in cash.
Authorities identified that, to access victims’ information and gain their trust, the group frequently posed as private secretaries; they would contact the victims and offer incentives—such as promotions or candidacies—to lure the people they intended to extort. They were arrested during an operation in the municipality of Metepec, State of Mexico, where authorities seized cell phones, multiple SIM cards, and high-end vehicles.
The six individuals have already been formally charged with extortion, and investigations are ongoing to unravel the entire corruption network in which this subject was involved. To reiterate, he was a high-ranking public official in Michoacán—specifically the Secretary of Finance under Governor Fausto Vallejo. Vallejo was a member of the PRI, then Morena—well, yes, Morena—and the PRD.
We also recall the very close relationship between Fausto Vallejo’s son—nicknamed “El Gerber,” if I recall correctly—and “La Tuta,” the leader of the Knights Templar. La Tuta is now in the United States, having been extradited through cooperation with the Mexican government. Fausto Vallejo’s son even appeared in videos having a very cordial conversation with Cervando Gómez Martínez—though it was later claimed he had been forced to go.
That is the context of the Fausto Vallejo administration: a direct relationship with the Knights Templar, with the governor’s children—or at least Rodrigo Vallejo Mora—implicated in the matter. Now, the Secretary of Finance—who clearly learned the ropes well—has been arrested for engaging in extortion; it is just the tip of the iceberg, Polo.
Yes, exactly. Sucena is a good example—regarding his political mentor—and the investigation also establishes that at least 19 high-end phones of various types were used to make calls and send messages; records show these phones were used with SIM cards seized at the time of his arrest, and they match the numbers reported by some of the victims.
So, the investigation will continue to see where it leads. Well, I suppose the cell phones were registered—heavily registered, really—since all citizens were forced to register them. So, if they are registered, then the authorities need to go after the criminals. And if they aren’t registered—or if they haven’t been deactivated—then we’re being misled by this whole cell phone registration system. We shall see. Alright, thanks.
Source: Grupo Fórmula