Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, has unsealed an indictment against a Mexican judge accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes to prevent extraditions to the United States.
Essayli posted on X November 5, “This morning, my office unsealed a federal indictment against a Mexican judge who accepted $2 million in bribes from drug traffickers to help them avoid extradition to the United States. Now, he will be extradited to face justice.” Talk about a taste of his own medicine.
Attorney General Todd Blanche and Essayli both emphasized that just because a corrupt official is in another country, that doesn’t mean he can sabotage American justice with impunity. “Let this be a warning to other corrupt officials,” Essayli added. Especially in the case of Mexico, because it is right on our doorstep, officials and criminals cannot assume they will always evade extradition.
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Blanche shared photos of the corrupt judge, including one of him in handcuffs. Mexican authorities are cooperating with the Trump administration in this case.
A Mexican federal judge has been arrested on a nine-count federal indictment charging him with accepting a $2 million bribe to free a Canadian drug trafficker who was the second-in-command to former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding—who is in federal custody on charges of leading a transnational cocaine trafficking operation, as well as murder and attempted murder. Crooked public officials, no matter where they are, who assist drug traffickers operating here at home will face justice in the U.S. Great work by the @HSTaskForce, @USAO_LosAngeles, and our law enforcement partners!
— Attorney General Todd Blanche (@AGToddBlanche) November 5, 2026
The Homeland Security Task Force worked with Essayli’s office in Los Angeles to bring justice to the judge.
Related: U.S. Helps Strike Cartel Hotspot Venezuela With Drones
The Trump administration has particularly focused on targeting drug traffickers in Latin America. In fact, the strike on the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Venezuela that was revealed Thursday involved American drones. A Venezuelan military source reportedly said that the FBI and CIA were also involved in coordinating the strike. This appears to be one of the joint operations that the Trump administration has engaged in with partners in South American countries against cartels.
Essayli, who is fighting his own court battle to stay in his position, has been particularly aggressive in targeting noncitizen criminals and fraudsters. In spite of the blue tidal wave during the midterm election, he is still pursuing against election fraudsters.
Our work continues. Today, a federal grand jury returned 10 indictments against noncitizens who registered and voted in California elections as part of Operation Protect the Vote.
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) November 4, 2026
Unfortunately, over the next two years, he has a long road to go in targeting criminals while fending off Democrat interference.
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