The man authorities identify as the leader of the Arizona Mexican Mafia has been convicted in a fraud scheme and has now admitted to his role in a string of cold case murders from the 1990s, according to state officials.
Paul Eppinger, already serving a life sentence in federal prison, pleaded guilty to charges connected to pandemic unemployment fraud. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said Eppinger and several associates used false claims to siphon benefits during COVID-19, defrauding state and federal programs.
But during the course of that investigation, prosecutors said Eppinger also confessed to his involvement in five previously unsolved killings tied to gang activity across Arizona. Those admissions provided investigators with the final pieces needed to close long-stalled homicide cases.
“I’m proud of the attorneys and investigators in my office who helped bring these cold cases to justice,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement, calling financial fraud probes a critical tool in dismantling organized crime.
Eppinger received an additional 25 years for each of the five murders, extending his prison time on top of his current life sentence.
Officials noted that the fraud investigation uncovered a broader web of false unemployment claims filed by inmates and their associates, further highlighting how organized crime groups sought to exploit the pandemic for profit.
With the new convictions, state leaders say the case marks a major blow against one of Arizona’s most violent gangs, while also giving long-awaited closure to families of the victims.
