Julio César Chávez arrested in US over cartel ties less than a week after Jake Paul fight
Chávez, who fought Jake Paul only last week, was arrested in Studio City, California. According to the US's Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Chávez has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organised crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.
Catch all the latest boxing action on DAZN
According to the Associated Press, Chávez was arrested by 'a large number of federal agents' while he was riding a scooter in front of a home where he resides in Studio City.
DHS also said that Chávez is believed to an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, which has recently been designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the current administration. It is understood that Chávez was arrested two days ago.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said: 'This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate with an active arrest warrant for trafficking guns, ammunition, and explosives was arrested by ICE. It is shocking the previous administration flagged this criminal illegal alien as a public safety threat, but chose to not prioritize his removal and let him leave and COME BACK into our country.'
She added: 'Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes. Our message to any cartel affiliates in the US is clear: We will find you and you will face consequences. The days of unchecked cartel violence are over.'
Also according to the DHS, Chávez filed application for Lawful Permanent Resident status in April 2024. The department said that his application was based on his marriage to a US citizen connected with the Sinaloa Cartel.
It is understood that Chávez is married to Frida Muñoz. She is the mother of a granddaughter of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and the former wife of Edgar Guzman, who died in 2008.
The DHS also pointed to a number of convictions that Chávez has within the US. The first conviction was for driving under the influence in 2012, which resulted in 13 days in prison and three years' probation.
More seriously, the DHS says that a judge in 2023 issued a warrant for Chávez's arrest in 2023 for multiple weapons charges relating to organised crime. A year after that arrest warrant was issued, Chávez was convicted of other weapons charges in Los Angeles. It is not immediately known whether these 2024 convictions relate to the 2023 arrest warrant.
On December 17, 2024, US Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chávez was an egregious public safety threat. However, DHS also claims that an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chávez was not an immigration enforcement priority.
The DHS also claimed that Chávez re-entered the US in January and was 'paroled' into the country. It also says that he made 'multiple fraudulent statements' on his residency application. The order, it says, to remove him was made on 27 June.
The timing of Chávez's arrest raises questions. Given that the order to detain was made on 27 June, there has been no public explanation as to why Chávez was not detained before his bout a day later against Jake Paul. There is also no public explanation as to why Chávez, whose whereabouts have been prominent and public knowledge in the weeks leading up to the Jake Paul fight, was not arrested or detained at any earlier point.
It has also not been explained how Chávez could be subject to deportation on the grounds that an arrest warrant has been issued.
Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription
DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more.
An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month.
A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Criticism grows over Zohran Mamdani's ethnicity
NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani - who made his South Asian ethnicity a key part of his campaign - once identified as 'black' on his college application. Mamdani ticked both 'Asian' and 'Black or African American' when he applied to Columbia University as a high school senior in 2009, the New York Times has found. The rising Democrat , 33, who was born in Uganda, told the paper the application didn't allow for the complexity of his background, calling the boxes 'constraining'. He confirmed writing 'Ugandan' in a space that allowed for additional background, adding, 'I wanted my college application to reflect who I was.' The Ivy League institution ended up rejecting Mamdani even though his father - Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani - has worked there since 1999. But several on social media - and the hosts of Fox & Friends - accused Mamdani of filling out the form as he did to gain an upper hand in the admissions process. At the time, Columbia considered race in its admissions process, a system designed to boost the chances of underrepresented minorities. 'Mamdani just baldly lying on every one of his college applications that he was "racially Black" in order to exploit an utterly corrupt & unjust system for his own selfish advancement,' wrote UNC School for Civic Life & Leadership Associate Dean David Decosimo on X. '[M]ay be the most authentically communist thing he has ever done.' Prominent progressive Chris Cillizza got it on the action as well, re-sharing a portion of the report that discussed the discrepancies between Mamdani's current Muslim immigrant identity and the labels unveiled in the leak. 'Oops!' the former legacy journalist wrote, as another called Mamdani's application 'The latest in a long list of frauds from the Democrat Party.' Over on the Fox & Friends sofa, the outrage was similarly swift, with Fourth of July fill-in hosts Charlie Hurt, Griff Jenkins, and Katie Pavlich airing suspicions about Mamdani's motivations as well. 'Democrats' new nominee to be the mayor of New York City, Mr. Mamdani, clearly despises America and everything that we stand for,' said Hurt to start the segment, calling Mamdani a 'full-blown communist.' 'Also a racist, by the way,' he added. 'It turns out that he had-, when he applied for Columbia University, he described himself as being Black and African-American because his parents happened to be in Uganda when he was born.' Pavlich compared the case to the controversy the one that's plagued Elizabeth Warren, while joking about Mamdani still not being accepted after the fact. 'He said his answers on the college application were an attempt to represent his complex background given the limited choices before him, and not to gain an upper hand in the admissions process,' she said. 'Maybe he should call Elizabeth Warren and see how this worked out for her, but she did use it to get ahead. So, you know, maybe there's a difference there.' Others compared it to the controversy surrounding Warren's Native American heritage as well, years after it resurfaced when Donald Trump referred to the Democratic senator as 'Pocahontas' during a 2017 ceremony at the White House. Warren's ancestry came into question in 2012, when she was a candidate trying to unseat then-Sen. Scott Brown. At the time, the former Harvard professor claimed to be part Cherokee and Delaware Indian - without a shred of evidence. Brown - and many others - subsequently accused her of claiming to be a descendant of American Indians to advance her career in academia. Warren denied it. 'Let me be clear. I never asked for, never got any benefit because of my heritage,' Warren said in a 2012 TV rebuttal ad at the time. When pressed by the Times, he said that aside from those forms, he could not recall another time where he identified as black or African-American. He also said he doesn't identify as either race he checked, and that he sees himself as 'an American who was born in Africa.' The information comes from a leaked database of past Columbia applications laid uncovered in a recent hack. It also comes as Mamdani is set to face off with incumbent Eric Adams, Republican Curtis Silwa, and reportedly Andrew Cuomo - this time as an independent - in November, following a whirlwind campaign that saw him upset the latter last month. His promises to freeze rents, streamline transportation, and strengthen the city's social services has been panned by some as realistic.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Diddy faces cash crisis as Cassie payout and civil suits drain $400m fortune despite racketeering acquittal, says lawyer
SEAN 'Diddy' Combs may not have to deal with life in prison after being acquitted on multiple charges, but he could run into financial difficulties when he is released from jail, an expert has claimed. The controversial music mogul was sitting on a fortune of almost a billion dollars at one point in his career before it imploded. 4 But his net worth reportedly dwindled to $400 million months before his arrest in 2024. He has since had to pay a growing mountain of legal fees for his criminal trial, several civil cases, and a $20 million settlement to his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. Combs, 55, was acquitted of the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking this week after a weeks-long trial in Manhattan, New York. But he was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and remains behind bars ahead of his sentencing hearing. Despite each count carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years, he is likely to be a free man in the coming months, according to experts. But he may struggle to get his career back on track as his business empire has significantly declined due to his legal troubles and the public fallout from the allegations. Eric Faddis, a former felony prosecutor and founding partner at Varner Faddis Elite Legal, spoke to The U.S. Sun to give his opinion on what is next for Combs. He said, "One thing that's clear is that his resources have been depleted. He still appears to have some wealth. But there's going to be a collectability issue when it comes to these civil cases. "If they all get judgments, he's not going to have enough personal assets to make them whole. "There is no legal mechanism of which I'm aware by which he could try to take back the twenty million or so dollars that he paid to Cassie in a civil judgment. That's over and done with. Horror full unedited vid shows Sean 'Diddy' Combs attack on ex Cassie Ventura during 'freak off' party in LA "There are murmurs about ... is he going to try to go after other folks who are involved in this trial for defamation, or malicious prosecution, or something like that? "Anything is possible, but I think he would be better off kind of letting sleeping dogs lie, moving on with his life, and undertaking this herculean effort of dealing with the other civil cases." Asked if he believes he could go broke, Faddis claimed, "Oh, 100 per cent. I think there's a substantial chance that his assets are going to be dwindling if they're not already dwindling. "There's no insurance policy that's going to kick in and pay out these plaintiffs. "If these plaintiffs prevail in the civil claims, he himself is going to be financially responsible. "I'm sure he paid gobs and gobs of money to his criminal attorneys for this two-month trial. "On top of that, a lot of his endorsements and contractual support is likely gone. And so I think he's going to run into financial issues real soon." There's no insurance policy that's going to kick in and pay out these plaintiffs." Attorney Eric Faddis told The U.S. Sun Combs paid off a $18.8 million mortgage on his lavish $48.5 million Star Island mansion in Miami, Florida, before his arrest. To try and secure bail, his defense team previously proposed a $50 million bond package, which included the property that was raided by the feds. He also listed his $61.5 million Beverly Hills home for sale, but it remains on the market. BUSINESS EMPIRE The star was running multiple businesses before his scandal, including Revolt TV, which he founded, and his fashion brand Sean John, which vanished from Macy's. Combs relinquished control of his lucrative spirits brands, Ciroc and DeLeón, and also reportedly lost a Hulu reality series deal. However, his music catalog remains intact for the time being. Combs kept his label Bad Boy Records relevant before he was arrested and backed the likes of Machine Gun Kelly's 'Mainstream Sellout' in 2022. In 2023, he also dropped The Love Album: Off the Grid, his first solo album in nearly two decades. The same year, singer Janelle Monae also released her celebrated record The Age of Pleasure through Bad Boy. Asked if he thinks he could build his empire back up, Faddis said, "It's not unheard of in America for folks who have, you know, been formerly disgraced to kind of make a comeback. "I think he's going to try [but] whether America has the stomach for that at this point is an open question. "I think, legally speaking, it is certainly a victory for Diddy, but I think we [have] to be careful, because there are a lot of sensitive issues at play here, just because the jury found that he was not guilty. That's not the same as finding that he was innocent. "What the jury found was that the Government couldn't meet its burden with respect to those charges. That's not the same as saying those things didn't happen." Combs was previously forced to apologize to fans after previously denying physically assaulting ex Ventura when CNN published exclusive hotel surveillance video from 2016. The footage showed Combs appearing to grab, shove, drag, and kick the singer in a hotel hallway. 'My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,' he said in a video statement posted on Instagram. 'I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now,' he added. 'I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry. But I'm committed to be a better man each and every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry.' Combs fell to his knees on Wednesday when the verdict was read out in a Manhattan courtroom, and he was acquitted of the most serious charges in his criminal case. The U.S. Sun obtained a letter from the prosecution sent to Judge Arun Subramanian regarding the star's sentence for two counts of engaging in prostitution, which is yet to be decided. They say the guideline sentence for him is just 51 to 63 months [five and a half years maximum], and he has already been behind bars for nine months. It reads, "The Government notes, however, that the Guidelines applicable at sentencing may be higher than this preliminary calculation. "The Government has not had adequate time to carefully consider all potentially applicable Guidelines provisions." 4 4
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
US close to several trade deals, announcements to be made in next days, Bessent says
WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - The United States is close to clinching several trade deals ahead of a July 9 deadline when higher tariffs kick in, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday, predicting several big announcements in coming days. Bessent told CNN's "State of the Union" the Trump administration would also send out letters to 100 smaller countries with whom the U.S. doesn't have much trade, notifying them that they would face higher tariff rates first set on April 2 and then suspended until July 9. "President Trump's going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don't move things along, then on August 1 you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level. So I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly," Bessent said. Bessent denied that August 1 was a new deadline for negotiations. "We are saying this is when it's happening. If you want to speed things up, have at it. If you want to go back to the old rate, that's your choice," he told CNN. The U.S. Treasury chief said the Trump administration was focused on 18 important trading partners that account for 95% of the U.S. trade deficit. But he said there had been "a lot of foot-dragging" among countries in getting closure on a trade deal. He declined to name countries that were close to a trade agreement, adding, "because I don't want to let them off the hook." Trump has repeatedly said India is close to signing a deal and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached with the European Union, while casting doubt on a deal with Japan. Since taking office, the U.S. president has set off a global trade war that has upended financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to guard their economies, including through deals with the U.S. and other countries. Trump on April 2 announced a 10% base tariff rate and additional amounts for most countries, some ranging as high as 50%. The news roiled financial markets, prompting Trump to suspend all but the 10% base rate for 90 days to allow more time for negotiations to secure deals, but the process has proven more challenging than expected. That period ends on July 9, although Trump early on Friday said the tariffs could be even higher - ranging up to 70% - with most set to go into effect August 1. Bessent, asked about the 70% rate, referred back to the April 2 list, but that did not include such high rates.
