Former TV Azteca host Inés Gómez Mont was arrested this Friday, October 30, by immigration authorities in the state of Florida, United States, after having been a fugitive from Mexican justice since September 2021.
Gómez Mont is the subject of multiple active arrest warrants issued by federal judges in Mexico at the request of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), which accuses her of organized crime and operations involving illicitly obtained funds.
The primary investigation alleges that the former presenter and her spouse, businessman Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga, controlled a network of shell companies—or “invoice mills”—through which 2.95 billion pesos were allegedly diverted from the public treasury.
According to the federal prosecutor’s case file, the funds originated from contracts awarded via direct assignment between 2016 and 2017 by the Decentralized Administrative Body for Prevention and Social Readaptation (OADPRS), which at the time fell under the Secretariat of the Interior.
Investigations indicate that the money was funneled through a scheme disguised as payments for security services at federal prisons, and subsequently routed into bank accounts belonging to the couple and their associates.
Gómez Mont’s capture follows the earlier apprehension of Álvarez Puga, who was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in late 2025 due to inconsistencies in his immigration status. Although the Interpol General Secretariat temporarily removed the Red Notices against both individuals last September—following legal challenges filed by their defense—the Government of Mexico is now preparing the necessary requests to the U.S. Department of Justice to formalize their extradition and initiate criminal proceedings within Mexico.
