De Los Santos and Gutierrez React to the Latest Indictment of ESA Fraud from Out of State

On October 2, 2025, The Arizona Attorney Generals office headed by Kris Mayes announced the indictment of Florida resident Adam Jones “for Theft and Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices,” where he is accused of creating fictitious children and defrauding the Empowerment Scholarship Private School Voucher Account Program of between $4,000 and $25,000 from December, 2022 to January, 2024.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has occurred.

Late last year, Mayes’s office indicted a Colorado couple for the same crime.

In two social media posts regarding the latest example of waste, fraud, and abuse in the Welfare for the Wealthy Scam Brainchild of MAGA-Plutocratic Loving Republicans, Attorney General Mayes said:

“My office will continue to aggressively prosecute fraud and protect taxpayer dollars.”

“Yesterday, we announced yet another indictment in the ESA program. Our priority is to ensure that the law is followed and that taxpayer funds are used properly.”

Reacting to this latest alleged criminal fleecing of Arizona working and middle class taxpayer dollars that has been enabled by Republicans who see no need to reform the ESA system, Arizona Democratic House Leaders Oscar De Los Santos and Nancy Gutierrez offered their perspectives.

In a social media post, Representative De Los Santos wrote:

“Yet again, a grand jury of everyday Arizonans has indicted a fraudster and thief for stealing taxpayer dollars through the ESA voucher program. Republicans are letting CRIMINALS steal our hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”

Commenting to Blog for Arizona, Representative Gutierrez relayed:

“I’m incredibly grateful to Attorney General Kris Mayes for her work to find and prosecute fraud in the ESA Universal Voucher system. This billion dollar, out of control spending program is in desperate need of systematic change. I hope that the people of Arizona will urge their state Representatives and Senators to put guardrails on this program this coming legislative session. This is hard earned taxpayer dollars that are being thrown away and causing other vital programs to be underfunded. This program has no fiscal responsibility and I implore my Republican colleagues to hear our bills this session so that we can put constraints in place.”

Save Our Schools Arizona issued a statement via social media that read:

“Once again, a fraudulent ESA voucher recipient is indicted for defrauding the state for “ghost children” — this time, a Florida man. Meanwhile, the AZ legislature refuses to implement any additional guardrails to stop the fraud & abuse of taxpayer dollars.”