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Jimmy Hughes Arrested on Murder Charges: 1981 Triple Homicide

Picture taken 09/26/09

October 2, 2009

Self-described Mafia hit-man James “Jimmy” Hughes, 52, was arrested on September 26 as he boarded a plane at Miami-Dade International Airport heading for Honduras.  The fugitive warrant lists three counts of murder and conspiracy to commit a crime for the 1981 execution-style murder of Cabazon Tribal Council Vice-Chairman Fred Alvarez, his friend Ralph Boger, and Patricia Castro in Rancho Mirage, California. 

Detective John Powers at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in California, Central Homicide Unit – Cold Case Division, was assigned  to investigate the 28-year-old triple homicide case about 2 years ago when Rachel Begley, the daughter of victim Ralph Boger, convinced the sheriff’s department to re-open the case.

Both Powers and Begley were aware of what they were stepping into when they launched their investigations.  Today, their respective findings resemble the stuff of spy novels, comprised of all the dynamics of clandestine government agents and organized crime figures involved in murder, money laundering and covert arms deals while exploiting Indian sovereignty (independent of most U.S. laws) at the Cabazon reservation.

 

Rachel Begley and Det. John Powers:  3-2-09

Jimmy Hughes had been security director of the Cabazon tribe’s casino and bingo operations for four years, until 1984 when he fled the U.S. and hid out in Guatamala, then joined FGBMFI (Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International) in 1987 and subsequently founded Jimmy Hughes Ministries – Free the Oppressed in Honduras.

At the FGBMFI website:  http://www.fgbmfivoice.com/stories/996hughes.htm Hughes declares he was a Mafia hit-man before he found God.  An excerpt reads as follows:  “ --- "After a six-year hitch in the military, I became a professional hit man for the Mafia. I collected money, hurt a lot of people and saw a lot of blood. I know what it’s like to cut the throat of a man, see a man die, or throw a man in the trunk of a car and take him to his death. I did many horrible things. I allowed myself to do whatever was necessary.

"One day I had a contract on a man. They had paid me a lot of money to kill this person. I travelled over many states, and walked into the man’s house one day, pulled out my pistol, and put a bullet in everybody’s head.“There were many people there that day because he was having a party. As I stood there with the gun in my hand, I suddenly realized that all those people were dead. They had died instantly. I had been paid to kill one man, but had killed half a dozen people. The rest had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time  ---“

Rachel Begley, whose father is named in the arrest warrant for Hughes, set out years ago to identify and bring to justice the killer(s) of her father.  Her logo at the bottom of her signature on e-mails reads: "Let Justice Be Done, Though The Heavens May Fall"  ~Fiat justitia, ruat coelum.~

About a year ago, she confronted Jimmy Hughes at a FGBMFI church meeting and introduced herself as the daughter of Ralph Boger.  She wanted Hughes to say he was sorry for the murder of her father, Fred Alvarez and Patti Castro, but he did not. 

Hughes didn’t want to talk about his past.  Nevertheless he confided, “Your parents got killed in a Mafia hit.  That’s life.  That’s what happened.”

Hughes added:  “ --- I don’t care about my past.  My past is my past.  It’s none of your business.  It’s nobody’s business.  I don’t care who died.  I don’t care who got killed.  I was trained in the military.  I killed people all over the world, right or wrong, because the government ordered me to.  Your dad and I were friends.  He touched somebody --- they gave an order and that’s what happened to him.  It’s a lot bigger than the murder of this guy or the murder of that guy.  It’s big --- you’re talking political people ---”

Hughes was unaware that Rachel had her camcorder turned on and everything he said was recorded.  The recording can be viewed at this website:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyjVd10w59I

Reporter Nathan Baca at KESQ-TV, News Channel 3, won an Emmy for his 35-part series entitled “The Octopus Murders.”  See Rachel Begley’s Blog for details (scroll down): http://desertfae.com/wordpress/   From the podium at the San Diego Hilton as he accepted his Emmy Award, Nathan Baca announced: (Excerpted) “I do this in memory of murder victims Ralph Boger, Fred Alvarez and Patti Castro.  I hope and pray that justice, a justice that has been delayed for far too many years, will soon be had by the families of these victims.  Thank you.” 

The series of KESQ-TV stories can be found at:  http://www.kesq.com/Global/category.asp?C=28289&nav=menu191_1

KESQ Videos on The Octopus Murders:    http://www.kesq.com/Global/category.asp?C=77242&nav=menu191_4

Meanwhile, Detective John Powers, with the full support and backing of the Riverside Sheriff, relentlessly followed the cold-case trail from 1981 to the present, examining thousands of old documents across the state, resurrecting  police reports from forgotten archives (which were not computerized 28 years ago), and interviewing dozens of hostile witnesses who feared to come forward in 1981.  

Ultimately, Powers formed a secret investigative alliance with Begley, a computer whiz, and their work came to fruition last week when Detective Powers was notified by authorities in Miami, Florida that Jimmy Hughes was in the U.S. and preparing to depart for Honduras. 

Media reports to date have been confused or misleading about the details of the arrest.  This is how it went down:  Detective Powers flew to Miami and subsequently met authorities at the airport.  He went to the gate where the passengers were boarding the plane and quickly scanned the crowd for Jimmy Hughes.   He was the only person who could pick Hughes out of the crowd, so the other officers awaited his signal.

When Powers motioned to the other officers that Hughes was not in the crowd, two Customs Officers boarded the plane and located Hughes’ assigned seat.  They found Hughes on the plane with his wife and after identifying him by his passport, took him into custody.

Two uniformed Customs Officers escorted Hughes off the plane in handcuffs. When they came down the ramp, Det. Powers confirmed they had the right man.

Three agencies assisted Detective Powers with the arrest.  US Customs and Border Protection were the primary agency making the arrest.  They processed Hughes in their facility at the airport and then turned custody over to Miami-Dade County Police Department - Airport District.  The police department took custody of Hughes on the warrant and booked him into the County Jail located at 1321 N.W. 12th Street in Miami.  An officer with Department of Homeland Security / I.C.E was also present and provided some assistance.

Although Det. Powers was there, he was not the arresting officer because he did not have jurisdiction in Miami.  His purpose for being there was to make sure Hughes did not slip through their fingers and make it out of the country.  Det. Powers was the only person who could identify Hughes on site and he provided photographs of Hughes to the other officers.  Det. Powers also wanted to attempt an interview with Hughes once he was arrested but Hughes invoked his Miranda rights and refused an interview.  Det. Powers also was hopeful that Hughes would waive extradition so he could bring him back to California, but Hughes chose to fight extradition. 

One of the arresting officers who assisted Detective Powers and wrote the report was CBP (Customs Border Patrol) Officer Dale Munson.  One of the two Miami-Dade Police Officers who assisted was Detective Richard Wilkinson.   Both were uniformed officers assigned to the Airport District.  Details of the arrest can be obtained through any of the above agencies.  Chief of Customs is Elbin Rodriguez.   

Det. Powers is currently in the process of getting the Governor's Warrant to have Jimmy Hughes brought back to California.  He filed a Felony Complaint for Extradition in Indio Court on October 1, case number INF-066719.   

The California state attorney general will prosecute the case because the Riverside County district attorney, Rod Pacheco, is a second cousin of the defendant.  Pacheco also worked in the Riverside District Attorney’s office in 1984 when Jimmy Hughes fled to Guatamala. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Pacheco

NOTE:  For in-depth BACKGROUND details on the history of the triple homicide and Cabazon investigations see:  “Octopus Cold Case File” dated June 23, 2009   http://desertfae.com/pressrelease.htm

Rachel Begley can be contacted at: desertfae@gmail.com

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