Rachel C. Hernandez Acting United States Attorney for the District of Arizona | U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona
Malachi Reed, a 21-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced to two years in prison by United States District Judge Sharad H. Desai on June 2, 2025. This sentencing follows Reed's guilty plea on March 12, 2025, for using interstate commerce to transmit a threat.
The case dates back to August 6, 2024, when a juvenile was reported missing from the Gila River Indian Community. Collaborative efforts among the Gila River Police Department, Mesa Police Department, Des Moines Police Department, and the FBI led investigators to discover that the juvenile had traveled to Des Moines to meet Reed. Upon contact from a detective of the Gila River Police Department seeking the safe return of the juvenile, Reed issued threats against the detective and others involved in the investigation. Despite these threats, authorities continued their work and located both Reed and the juvenile on August 16, 2024.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Gila River Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raynette M. Logan from Phoenix oversaw prosecution duties for this case.
