Ex-ACU players accused in human smuggling scheme

Over the past 18 months, “The Arizona Republic” has investigated human smuggling allegations against former football players from Arizona Christian University (ACU).

Jason Wolf, Sports Reporter and Investigator at “The Arizona Republic,” joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss his findings.

The investigation found the U.S. Border Patrol arrested the former players and released them without criminal charges. It was revealed a current ACU player allegedly distributed driving assignments to teammates. People also claimed a former ACU assistant and current high school coach was involved in the scheme.

The investigation found far more people are arrested for human smuggling than are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

“According to U.S. Border Patrol records obtained by the Republic, the two U.S. citizens arrested in this incident were released based on the COVID-19 pandemic and their lack of prior criminal history in accordance with Tucson sector guidelines,” Wolf said.

Wolf acquired all incident reports for traffic stops resulting in arrests for human smuggling in the Tucson sector over a 48-hour window in January of 2022. In that window, there were 18 reports, 26 arrests for human smuggling an average of 13 per day. Still, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona prosecutes between two to four a day.

“There’s quite a discrepancy. Of the 26 who were arrested, at least seven of them according to the public records were released because of the pandemic and their lack of criminal history,” Wolf said.

In 2023, former ACU quarterback Brady Martin told “The Arizona Republic” how his teammates made thousands of dollars a night by participating in a scheme to drive migrants from border towns to metro Phoenix.

Former ACU linebacker Malakai Samuelu and running back Junior Faualo were subsequently arrested for human smuggling. Despite being caught with an injured Mexican woman in the back of a car, authorities released them without criminal charges.

The players had borrowed the car from tight end, Trenton Olson, and drove more than 200 miles from campus, where they rescued the woman from a canal.

This is still an ongoing story, as Wolf and “The Arizona Republic” continue to investigate and have more to share.