New Content September 2021
Cochise County Is a hotbed of human smuggling and not just on the border
Informing about actual smuggling activity and exposing what law enforcement isn’t doing
A Persistent Problem Since 2015
My properties outside Sierra Vista and in the town of Cochise are being used as stash houses and pathways for the influx of illegals into the United States. My ranch in Cochise has been used since at least 2015. My home and property outside Sierra Vista since 2016. I have maintained daily documentation of my observations of this human smuggling activity and provided it to law enforcement on multiple occasions. As of the current date, nothing has changed. I have published this web site and blog to bring attention to this situation. If the smugglers could do this to me, they can do it to others. I am also asking for comments or suggestions on what I can do to get these people out of my home and off my properties. A third goal is to bring attention to the failings of law enforcement in their reaction to and resolution of criminal activity such as what I have been, and continue to be, subjected to. I hope that by publicizing this problem, law enforcement will be forced to do their job and end this horror story once and for all.
About Me
I am a 66 year old Caucasian woman originally from Chicago. I graduated from the University of Arizona in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. I retired from Federal Civil Service in 2011 after a 26 year career. The results of my interactions with law enforcement personnel regarding the human smuggling were perplexing to say the least. I was not used to being ignored or dismissed.
As a GS-14 Supervisory Electrical Engineer, I was in charge of the second largest project in my organization. I managed an annual budget of $21 million. I supervised twenty civilian and military personnel and was responsible for million of dollars in contract support. I routinely interacted with Army, Navy and Air Force personnel as well as representatives of the Intelligence Community and other Department of Defense agencies. My input, observations and conclusions were valued and contributed to the successful implementation and upgrading of a major DOD satellite communications system.
But despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary, law enforcement treated me as if I was perpetuating some grand hoax. I was subjected to actions that one would expect to be directed at perpetrators, not the victim. And a victim is what I was and continue to be. And the sources of this victimization are not only human smugglers but amazingly, also members of the law enforcement community.
It Started at the Ranch
Although I live in an unincorporated area outside Sierra Vista, I also own a 5 acre ranchette in the town of Cochise. In mid- 2015 I noticed that the electric bill at Cochise was going up. Strange since no one lived there.
After a few months of making some trips out there, observing ongoing vandalism, setting up security cameras and reviewing the footage, I came to the conclusion that my Hispanic neighbors were part of a human smuggling ring and my property was being used as a stash house. It was common knowledge that illegals were routinely moved through Cochise and I certainly had no illusions that an unattended property such as mine would be sheltered from that. But as soon as I realized it, I started to try and increase the security at the ranch. I wanted to let the smugglers know that my property should be considered off limits to their activity. I was not successful. I contacted law enforcement about the problem. None of their actions resulted in any decrease in the smuggling activity. I hired a Private Investigator. Their efforts were also unsuccessful. I kept trying to secure the property but finally gave up because I started seeing similar activity at my home in Sierra Vista .
Then They Started Using My Sierra Vista Property
In early 2017 I started to suspect something was also going on at my Sierra Vista home. Initially I was skeptical. It seemed fantastical that something like that could be happening. I lived in a nice neighborhood. I had four large dogs who were very protective. The back of my property was enclosed by a chain link fence. I had security cameras watching all sides of the house.
I thought perhaps my Cochise neighbors were trying to intimidate me so I would leave the ranch alone. I called my local law enforcement, the Cochise County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), about prowlers. As time went on, I noticed indicators that something more insidious was going on. In June 2017, I finally came to the conclusion that my attic was being used as a stash location. And that illegals were being moved through several times a day. And, more distressing, that it had probably been going on for at least six months before I realized it. These smugglers were professionals. And they were hiding in plain sight. I called the CCSO about activity in my attic. The responding deputies were as skeptical as I had been originally and were of no help
Document Document Document
I realized I needed to provide tangible proof to law enforcement. My security cameras weren't getting any direct images of the smuggling activity. I tried taking photographs with my iPhone camera. Again, no clear images. I finally realized that I couldn't, or wasn't being allowed to, obtain any photographic proof for law enforcement. So I started documenting everything. In the Federal Government this is a standard operating procedure for proving there is a problem. Over a long enough period of time, the sheer volume of the documentation provides the stand alone proof. The second aspect of this was that none of the observations I made and documented happened PRIOR TO THE SMUGGLER INVASION OF MY PROPERTIES. Cause and effect. Daily documentation. That should convince them.
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Fight Back
As I acquired observation data, I reacted by attempting to secure my home and put up barriers to discourage the smuggling. Some were successful temporarily but the smugglers would always subvert my attempts. They were making a lot of money moving all those illegals. They weren't going to give up easily.
Retrospective Thinking - Everything Runs Through the Attic
In January 2018 I started to think about problems I had been having with electrical wiring, telephone disconnects and cable TV interference. My utility bills had also gone way up. I had originally attributed all this to “normal” events. But now I started to look closer.
The electrical, telephone, cable and data cables all run through the attic. They could be easily modified or disconnected from there. I started to suspect that was why my landline telephone had been dropping out, and why outdoor lighting that worked in the past was now not usable. There were also splitters for the cable TV and data line in the attic. I started to think the cable TV interference and interruptions to streaming video and the Internet may be due to tampering at those splitters. I also suspected that the ducting had probably been opened up to divert heating and cooling to the attic.
Yep. EVERYTHING runs through the attic. And there's no one watching them up there.
All My Computers are Hacked
In February 2018 the smugglers made it clear that they were in my computers and that they were going to make it as difficult as possible for me to put together anything for law enforcement. Among other things I would lose control of my cursor and applications would crash over and over. I found evidence of their hacking in Event Viewer, Device Msnager and other administrative tools. The hacking was quite extensive. I decided to start fresh with a new computer.
New Computer Intercepted - Contact the FBI
I purchased a new computer on line from the Microsoft Store. It was intercepted by smugglers embedded in FedEx and arrived with the hack code loaded up.
This was a crime involving interstate transport. That was an FBI area of interest. I composed a letter to the FBI about what happened to the computer and included a summary of the other smuggling activity. I sent it by USPS certified mail. I also hand delivered a copy to their building in Sierra Vista. They never contacted me.
At this point I also realized that the smugglers were watching all my Internet activity.
Safe Mode
Because of the smuggler hacking, it took me over a year to finally transcribe and consolidate my hand written documentation into my computer. I finally was successful when I remembered that useful feature called “Safe Mode.” None of the hack code could load. I was off and running!
The Data Tells the Story
In late 2018, I realized that my compiled information clearly showed three things. One, there was human smuggling going on and my Sierra Vista home, property and neighborhood were being used for that. Two, the smugglers were making modifications to my properties to maintain stash areas for the illegals. Three, the smugglers knew I knew what they were doing and took steps to keep me from interfering in the business and convincing anyone else that it was happening. They were quite successful.
The Report for Law Enforcement - Delivered
On December 28, 2018, I hand delivered my package of documentation (cover letter and files on SD cards) to the Cochise County Sheriff Office (CCSO), the FBI, and the Sierra Vista Police Department (SVPD). On January 3, 2019, I shipped a copy via UPS to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Phoenix. It was delivered on January 10, 2019. The package included background information and my analysis of how the smugglers were getting into my attic. I also included several logs of my daily observations by category.
So What Did Law Enforcement Do? - HSI Opened an Investigation
For three months I heard absolutely nothing from any of them. I continued to document the smuggling activity. In early April 2019, after several calls to HSI Phoenix, I finally was contacted by Agent Paul Moore from HSI Douglas. He was investigating and asked me for any updates. He said some of my documentation was considered classified. I'll bet it was. In early May 2019 I dropped off the update at the SVPD to give to Agent Moore. Needless to say I was relieved that the problem was being worked and assumed my ordeal would soon be over.
So Was the Problem Resolved?
No. For the next three months I observed the smuggling activity actually increase. In early July 2019 I left a note at the SVPD for HSI Agent Moore asking for a status of his investigation. He never responded.
So What Did You Do? - Another Update and Questions
On July 25, 2019 I provided another update. This time I delivered it to everyone (CCSO, FBI, SVPD), not just HSI. It consisted of a spreadsheet of my daily logs and a document describing significant events that occurred from May to July 2019. I also included files with all the previous documentation and logs. I added a printed out cover letter summarizing the smuggling activities and included questions for each of the agencies. The questions pertained to what their mission was with respect to the criminal activity ongoing at my home. I dropped off the packages at CCSO and the FBI. But when I tried to give SVPD the package for HSI Agent Moore as I had done in the past, I was met with a strange reception.
The SVPD receptionist asked me for my name and address and entered it in her computer. After peering at the screen she said she couldn't take the package for Agent Moore. She said she had to call CCSO first. That was strange. I said I had just been at CCSO. The receptionist was obviously confused and called for an officer to speak with me. After talking with the officer about the smuggling activity he took the package for Agent Moore who was in the building but “not available” to speak with me. He advised me to call CCSO whenever I found property damage so it gets entered in their system. I said I would start doing that. I gave him the package I had put together for the SVPD. After providing this update, no one ever contacted me or answered my questions.
Sounds Like You Were Getting the Bush Off - What Did You Do?
I decided to speak to them face-to-face. On August 29, 2019, I went to the CCSO Sierra Vista office and asked to speak with an investigator. A deputy (not an investigator) came out to the lobby where I was waiting. He said that he was not aware of the package of documentation I had provided or that HSI had opened an investigation. I advised him to find my documentation and read it. I also asked for and was given copies of all the CCSO incident reports for both of my properties. Later I skimmed through them and found the substance of the reports to be disturbing and inaccurate. I left messages requesting a meeting with the CCSO supervisor at the Sierra Vista office. He never responded. I left messages for HSI Agent Moore requesting a meeting. He never responded. Per the advice of the SVPD officer, on September 5, 2019, I called CCSO dispatch about vandalism in my attic. A deputy responded but no follow on action was taken. I advised the deputy to find my documentation and contact HSI about their investigation. Over the next four weeks, I asked for and was denied a copy of the CCSO incident report for the attic vandalism call four times. I decided to inundate HSI and the Border Patrol with play by play reports of the smuggling activity. I left several messages for HSI Agent Moore but he seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. I left several messages on the Border Patrol 1-800-Be-Alert tip line whenever a significant event occurred. No one got back to me. I continued to document the smuggling activity which continued unabated.
Did Law Enforcement Do Anything At All?
No. At least nothing that led to resolution of the smuggling problem. Despite providing over two years worth of detailed documentation, no action was taken that resulted in apprehension of the smugglers or the securing of my properties. I analyzed my interactions with law enforcement over the past three years. I compared statements from the CCSO incident reports with my documented observations of what occurred. I found omissions, inaccurate statements and outright lies in the reports. All I could do was continue to document and try to figure out what to do next. And, as the SVPD officer advised, continue to call CCSO whenever I found new damage.
CCSO Takes the Low Risk Approach - They Go After the Victim
In October 2019, after I called CCSO Dispatch about vandalism to my landline handset, action was taken by CCSO but not against the smugglers. THEY ACTUALLY WENT AFTER ME, THE VICTIM. They spent a lot of time and tax payer money with the ultimate result being actions that would thrust me into the unfamiliar world of court orders, and apprehension and detainment under mental health laws and regulations. All of this was eventually dismissed but the experience had a lasting debilitating effect on me. CCSO personnel had clearly abused the mental health system to satisfy some sort of vindictive goal. They were evidently pissed off about something but I couldn't imagine what that could be.
The Smuggling Beat Goes On
From October to December 2019 I observed escalation of the smuggling activity. My interactions with law enforcement had done nothing to discourage this activity. Some actions by law enforcement actually made it easier for the smugglers. I, of course, no longer called CCSO when I found new property damage because I didn't want to find out what else they could come up with to “get” me. And every once in a while I'd leave a message on the Border Patrol Tip Line. But 2019 ended and the smuggling business was doing better than ever.
Did I Give Up?
No. I continued to document my daily observations but I was still dealing with the trauma from the CCSO fiasco in October So I spent a lot of time watching Netflix. Amazingly, in 2020 the smuggling activity increased even more. Even COVID-19 didn’t slow them down. Or maybe not so amazingly. After observing the mediocre, and really strange, responses by law enforcement to my requests for help, the smugglers were now confident that the cops weren’t going to do anything. They were home free. Ole!
I Turn to Social Media
A friend suggested I try social media to publicize what was going on. So in February 2020, I started this illegalsinmyattic.com web site and blog. My plan was to use the web site to report monthly smuggling activity for all to see. But I was still stuck having to use my iPhone over LTE to access the web. I thought with two-level authentication to get into the site to edit it, I was protected from the smugglers hacking in. Unfortunately, when I tried to update the web site in March 2020, I kept getting kicked out. I finally gave up. I needed a secure isolated connection to the Internet.
I spent several months designing and installing a direct line of coax from the Cox box outside, through the exterior wall and into the house. Then I ran new coax inside. My plan was to use one of my notebook computers to connect to the internet through a stand alone modem and coax that would be isolated from the router and the smugglers in the attic. But there was also a good possibility that the smugglers had someone embedded at Cox so I wanted to put in a firewall that connected directly to the modem. That meant ordering one on line. A couple of problems with that. The smugglers will see me order it. And since it will most likely be delivered by FedEx, one of their people embedded at FedEx will no doubt intercept it and render it unusable or worse, install some fancy electronics to keep them in the loop. So I still had to find a way around that.
The War on Two Fronts: The Smugglers and Now Also The Cops
In 2020 I also did research on how one would address and report police misconduct and violations of my civil rights. Civil litigation is one option. I tried to find an attorney to represent me but no bites. I haven't given up on that option though. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was another option. I contacted the ACLU but they declined because my situation was too unique. As an interesting aside, their response letter, sent via USPS, was stolen either out of my mail box or at the Sierra Vista post office. There are also lots of laws and statutes, both federal and state, that apply. The Federal Department of Justice is one avenue. In August 2020 I submitted a police misconduct complaint to both the Civil and Criminal sections of the Department of Justice.
Did I Give Up Yet?
I haven't given up but I sure am getting tired of all of this. It's been over four years since the smuggler invasion of my home. There is more damage to my roof. My electronics are still being hacked. My cameras are still being disabled. I'm still being stalked. And lots more of the same. I'm still keeping a daily log of the smuggling activity but I decided to take some time to work on home improvement projects that I had postponed while pursuing help from law enforcement. My daily routine now includes actions to minimize the impact of the smuggler activities on my life. But I haven't given up on finding ways to hold law enforcement accountable for their actions, nor have I given up on using social media to LET EVERYONE KNOW what's going on.
Arizona Ombudsman
In March 2021 I found information about the Arizona Ombudsman – Citizens' Aide. On April 20th I sent them a complaint, via USPS certified mail (with return receipt), about the adverse, unwarranted and possibly illegal actions taken by CCSO deputies.
I Try to Publish Blogs and Update the Web Site
In April 2021 I started to publish blogs addressing articles in the daily newspaper related to illegal smuggling. I used my iPhone over LTE to access the Internet. And I didn't get disconnected by the hackers – at least not in the short period of time while I uploaded the text for the blogs. But when I attempted to directly edit the site content, I was disconnected.
In late April I started to rework the web site content off line.
In May 2021 I finally tried using a notebook computer connected to the modem side of my router, via the direct coax line I installed last year, to access the Internet. First I disabled the wifi on the router. Then I booted the computer up in safe mode with networking. And voila! I accessed the Internet successfully. But I was only able to connect to Microsoft sites. I needed to troubleshoot that but I wanted to get the web site updated.
So in June I went back to using my iPhone over LTE. This time I wasn’t disconnected. I suspect when I disabled the WiFi on my router, I cut off the path the hackers were using to get into my iPhone.
So Am I Still Giving Updates to Law Enforcement? Sure, To Them and Everyone Else on the Web
I haven't provided any updates of my documentation to law enforcement since the last one in July 2019. However, soon my summaries describing general activity and significant events will be on this web site. So instead of hand delivering updates to law enforcement, THEY CAN JUST LOOK AT THE WEB SITE ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE. Social media is the place to go if you want the world to know what's going on and force law enforcement to face their shortcomings in the court of public opinion. And they may even be embarrassed enough to actually do some real police work.
So why did all of this happen to me? Based on my twenty plus years as a supervisor, it's my opinion that situations like this are almost always the result of poor leadership. I suggest that, in my case, CCSO leadership allowed and possibly even encouraged subordinates to retaliate for inferred slights. Other missteps by law enforcement leadership could be lack of awareness in their subordinates of proper training, physical limitations, lapses in ethical judgment, gross misconduct and collusion with criminal elements. Let's look at that collusion angle closer.
I suggest that there may be collusion with the smugglers within CCSO and other state and federal agencies. I propose that this relationship is of a synergistic nature. I suspect untainted, but impressionable, personnel within the governmental agencies are being manipulated to unknowingly assist in the smuggling. The manipulators are either people in positions of authority or trusted colleagues.
No wonder Sierra Vista and the surrounding environs are infested with human smugglers and their hired locals. Maybe that's why federal border enforcement agencies have thrown their hands up about the situation at my property. Because the problem is actually everywhere and completely out of control. I suspect law enforcement is allowing the smuggling activity on my property to continue because it is a known stash location they can watch. They can also read my documentation for tips on how the smugglers work. When I spoke with the HSI Agent in April 2019, he said some of my information was considered classified. He also said the investigation may take some time. When I expressed my disappointment, he asked if I thought the smugglers would physically hurt me. I had to reply no. I believe they are justifying their lack of action by rationalizing that I am not being physically harmed by the presence of the smugglers and illegals. SO NO HARM, NO FOUL. If true, this is a grossly misplaced rationalization. And a clear violation of my constitutional rights.
And maybe that whole CCSO initiated court order and involuntary detainment exercise was actually meant to intimidate me into giving up on trying to get rid of the smugglers. I imagine all the involved parties (tainted or not) wish I would just cede to the new normal. But I won't. And I'm going to continue to make as much noise about it as I can. How? This web site for one. And then by contacting every federal and state agency I can find that is authorized to provide oversight and investigate corruption within the law enforcement community.
My Blog - Thoughts and Updates
Presentations of My Accumulated Experiences
The Ranch
What I observed at my Cochise ranch, how I deduced it was being used for illegal smuggling, and the actions I took in an attempt to secure it.
The Smuggler Handbook: How to Create a Successful Stash House in a Residential Area
Prior to the smuggler invasion of my properties I had little exposure to the methods used for human smuggling. But, after actually living in the middle of the “business”, I have reverse-engineered the smuggling operating procedures. This is an interesting look at the methods they use. And how they adapted their methodology for use in residential areas.
The Cops vs The Victim
After reviewing the CCSO incident reports, I finally realized that, since I initially contacted them about the ranch, they had routinely dismissed my concerns, refused to include obvious vandalism in their reports, ignored my documentation and disregarded or, in some cases, interfered with the efforts of other agencies. This is an interesting look at how the CCSO incident reports were skewed and how CCSO personnel created a sand castle of errors and misfeasance leading up to their last unbelievable action. There are also some dings directed at Homeland Security and the FBI. I wouldn't want to sell them short.
How CCSO Abused the Mental Health System
After the trauma of the CCSO apprehension and detainment experience lessened somewhat, I did lots of research on the mental health system world with very interesting results on how it was abused by vindictive and unqualified so-called professionals at the CCSO.
Legal Recourse Options
I did a lot of research on how one would address and report police misconduct and violations of my civil rights. This is an interesting look at some of the options available.
Significant Events
Month by month details of my observations of the smuggler activities, my analysis of what and how they did what they did, and my actions and attempts to fight back
Illegal Movement Activity
A review by month of the indicators and frequency of the transport and stashing of illegals at my home.
Historical Summary by Category
A summary of the sequence of events for each category of my life that was, and continues to be, manipulated by the smugglers.
Tail Faces
When I realized I was being followed in 2017, I started taking photographs of the vehicles and people. Some of the photographs were deleted by the smugglers but many weren't. I would see the same people over and over. Two of them even showed up at my home as part of a Home Depot contractor installation team. I consolidated the faces from the photographs into a single document and gave them names. At this point in time, few of the original tails are still on the job. There are lots of new ones but I will occasionally see some old familiar (tail) faces.
Senor Nogales vs. The Mark
After four years I am pretty sure I can visualize in retrospect what the leader of the smuggling ring was thinking as he invaded my home, ran his business and reacted to my attempts to block and discourage him. I dubbed him Senor Nogales. I associated my documented observations with what I can now conjecture, with reasonable certainty, the smugglers were saying and doing. I am planning to publish this as a book. The link will take you to the first few chapters
Message for Senor Nogales
To Senor Nogales (who is no doubt reading this): You will not win this battle. I’m from Chicago. I don’t break. And law enforcement will eventually figure this out and pursue and catch you and all your abetting cohorts.
Oh and one more thing. In June 2020, your guys screwed up. They missed a mirror propped up in front that could see the roof. My game camera looking out the window saw it and recorded the reflection of your guys and the illegals coming out of one of the trap doors you made in my roof. Oops.
A series of picture of a house in CCTV footage
Any suggestions regarding my ongoing battle with the smugglers or the law enforcement community are welcome and appreciated.
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