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Younan Criminal Syndicate Dismantled
All of the following information is from Phoenix Police Detectives as they learned information from other police officers, information sources, reports, search warrants, other investigative tools, and evidence:
Beginning in 2006 Phoenix Police investigators learned historical information about the Stewart Younan Criminal Organization, its members, and associates from an Arizona Department of Public Safety Detective and other Arizona law enforcement officers/detectives.
The original investigation began in January 2005 as a DPS internal investigation on possible corruption charges involving a DPS officer that began in 2001. This investigation led to an organized crime syndicate investigation tracked since 2000. This syndicate, led by Stewart Younan, involved valley wide investigations that included the corruption of a police officer and his involvement as a member of the criminal syndicate, as well as crimes that included forgery, theft of vehicle, burglary, money laundering, aggravated assault, robbery, armed robbery, misconduct involving weapons, probation violations, drug rip-offs, threats to a probation officer, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to murder a police officer, conspiracy to murder a county attorney, attempted murder, and murder. Some cases are still under investigation and involve other law enforcement agencies.
When the original DPS investigator became a victim in this case, and it was determined he lived in Phoenix, the case was taken over by a Phoenix Police investigator. The Phoenix Police Department has taken this case to its current status today along with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The names of victims in this case are not being released at this time to protect them from a continued series of threats to their lives made by this organization. This organization continues to direct operations from prison.
To date, six suspects identified in the Phoenix investigation have been convicted or arrested in crimes relating to this criminal syndicate. The six are: 28 year old Stewart Younan, currently incarcerated in the Arizona Department of Corrections; 38 year old Blaine McNeese, former DPS officer currently in Maricopa County Jail; 32 year old Lazar Lazar, currently a fugitive; 44 year old Carlos Saquilan, currently in prison and subject to deportation to Argentina after his release; 28 year old Khalid Henry, currently on supervised release, electronic monitoring; and 45 year old John Gentile, arrested by Phoenix Police today and currently in Maricopa County Jail. Historically, there were other suspects who were part of the organization, but the six listed here are those syndicate members identified in the Phoenix investigation.
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