Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, an Iranian national, and his wife Linet Vartanniavartanians, a naturalized U.S. citizen, have pleaded guilty following a June confrontation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Tempe, Arizona. The pleas were entered on August 21, with sentencing set for November 26 before United States District Judge David G. Campbell.
Eidivand admitted to possessing two firearms while being in the country without legal status, which is prohibited for non-citizens who are unlawfully present in the United States. Vartanniavartanians pleaded guilty to making threats against federal law enforcement officers during the same incident.
During the encounter on June 21, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) agents arrived at their residence to contact Eidivand. According to her plea agreement, Vartanniavartanians made several statements threatening violence if officers attempted to enter their home:
“I’m not letting anybody enter my home without my, you know, permission. So anybody that tries to invade my home, I’m going to shoot them. Like I said, I have a gun, and it’s loaded.”
“Anybody trying to enter my house is going to be shooted. I don’t allow anybody in my house, including ICE.”
When asked about the location of the gun, I responded “in my hand right now.”
“I go outside the backyard, and I’ll just shoot them in the head.”
A conviction for Alien in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines as well as supervised release or probation terms. Threats Against a Federal Law Enforcement Officer carries up to 10 years’ imprisonment with similar financial penalties and post-release supervision.
The case falls under Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative aimed at addressing illegal immigration and dismantling criminal organizations by combining resources from multiple agencies including Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The investigation was conducted by ICE ERO along with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI’s Phoenix Division. The prosecution is being handled by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
