Phoenix — On Wednesday, July 10, 2019, after an internal audit and investigation, Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) detectives arrested 27-year-old Pedro Javier Aguila Muniz at the department’s headquarters. Aguila had been assigned to the Highway Patrol Division’s Metro [Phoenix] Bureau for approximately two years. Aguila was booked into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office 4th Avenue Jail on charges of fraudulent schemes and artifices/practices, fraudulent use of a credit card, forgery, theft of a credit card and unauthorized access of criminal history.

In May 2019, AZDPS initiated a criminal investigation into Aguila, after discovery was made of his willful pattern to defraud off-duty law enforcement employment vendors. Discrepancies with Aguila’s record keeping relating to his on-duty time sheets and patrol vehicle mileage usage revealed he used his assigned patrol vehicle for personal use and to hide unauthorized fuel purchases with a State of Arizona fuel credit card. Detectives gathered evidence of Aguila using a state issued credit card to purchase and dispense fuel 21 times, into four personal vehicles between January and July of 2019.

Aguila was also found to be using the Arizona Criminal Justice Information System (ACJIS) in violation of state law and policy by querying persons without having a criminal justice purpose. “Aguila’s extensive misuse of department issued property and his willingness to violate clear and specific laws, policies and rules was evident throughout the investigation conducted by our detectives,” said AZDPS Director, Colonel Frank Milstead.