{"id":39496,"date":"2024-04-11T14:58:25","date_gmt":"2024-04-11T14:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/04\/11\/air-force-veteran-apparently-joined-russian-army-to-flee-charges-in-us\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:18:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:18:50","slug":"air-force-veteran-apparently-joined-russian-army-to-flee-charges-in-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2024\/04\/11\/air-force-veteran-apparently-joined-russian-army-to-flee-charges-in-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force veteran apparently joined Russian army to flee charges in US"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A U.S. Air Force veteran who fled a charge of possessing sexually explicit images of a child told his lawyer he joined Russia\u2019s army, and video appears to show him signing documents in a military enlistment office in Siberia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilmer Puello-Mota, a former elected official in a small Massachusetts city, was expected to enter a guilty plea in Rhode Island in early January, but did not show up to court, according to prosecutors. Last week, video surfaced that appears to show the 28-year-old in Russia and expressing support for the country\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/russia-ukraine\">war against Ukraine<\/a>&nbsp;\u2014 footage that could be used to promote Moscow\u2019s narrative of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His lawyer, John M. Cicilline, told The Boston Globe that he called Puello-Mota on Jan. 8, the day before he was expected to plead guilty. According to prosecutors, he boarded a flight from Washington, D.C., to Istanbul, Turkey, a day earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe said, \u2018I joined the Russian army,\u2019 or something like that,\u201d Cicilline told the Globe. \u201cI thought he was joking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cicilline said Puello-Mota wanted a career in politics and thought the criminal case had ruined his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m sure he joined the Russian army because he didn\u2019t want to register as a sex offender,\u201d Cicilline said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Associated Press made several calls to Cicilline. A person answering his office phone said he would not make any additional comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Puello-Mota served in the U.S. Air Force and deployed to Afghanistan in 2015, when he was 19, media releases show. He later served with the Massachusetts Air National Guard\u2019s 104th Fighter Wing as a security forces airman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Puello-Mota was arrested in 2020 in Warwick, Rhode Island, after he called to report a stolen gun and police said they found nude images of a 17-year-old girl on his phone. He was charged with one count of having sexually explicit images of a child. He was later also charged with trying to deceive prosecutors and his commanders about the case. Cicilline told the Globe he reached a deal to plead guilty to all charges in exchange for an 18-month prison sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Videos surfaced on Russian social media and local television in March showing the blurred image of a man in a uniform in what appears to be a war zone displaying the U.S. flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In video posted online last week, a man who looks like Puello-Mota talks directly to the camera, speaking in English over background music and Russian subtitles and discussing a military operation. His face is not blurred. He does not say his name, and the videos do not mention the Rhode Island criminal case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Vladimir Putin has eliminated nearly all independent media in Russia \u2014 and state media aligned regularly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-propaganda-putin-election-ukraine-712036dee8da10e35cb0d75d6ad53eea\">trumpet Russian victories<\/a>&nbsp;in Ukraine, denounce the West and otherwise amplify good news while ignoring the bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Rhode Island attorney general\u2019s office said in a court document last month that it had received images purporting to show Puello-Mota in Ukraine and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile the state cannot verify the authenticity of the videos and photographs, if they are accurate the defendant is well beyond the jurisdiction of this court and, if false, the defendant is engaged in an elaborate ruse to conceal his whereabouts,\u201d Rhode Island prosecutors said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. State Department officials said they were aware of media reports about Puello-Mota fleeing to Russia but have had no contact with him and have no way to confirm those reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most recent video appears to show Puello-Mota entering a building in Khanty-Mansiysk and shaking the hand of a uniformed man. At the end of the video, he is seen signing a document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AP verified the location after examining satellite imagery and historical photos of the area. According to a plaque on the door, it\u2019s a military recruitment center run by the Russian Defense Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cObviously it\u2019s a difficult situation. It\u2019s war. It\u2019s a special military operation,\u201d Puello-Mota says in the video, adding that he was lucky to be with \u201cpeople from the international brigade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe did our work. We did our job. We did what we were supposed to do,\u201d he said. \u201cI was very lucky and fortunate to serve with those guys. I definitely would do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ian Garner, an assistant professor of politics at Queen\u2019s University in Canada, called it \u201ca huge propaganda opportunity\u201d for Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo be able to show off an American citizen who has chosen to reinvent themselves, to reform themselves and become a part of the Russian war machine seems to provide evidence that Russia is winning a much bigger spiritual war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Puello-Mota held the rank of technical sergeant when he forced to leave the guard in October 2022 because of the criminal case, said Don Veitch, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts National Guard. His security clearance was also revoked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holyoke City Councilor David Bartley, who worked with Puello-Mota on the City Council, said he considers him a good friend. He said the person in the video looks and sounds like him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo me that\u2019s him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He knew of no connections between Puello-Mota and Russia and called the footage \u201cshocking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Wil that I know was a good, decent person,\u201d Bartley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Facebook page attributed to Puello-Mota includes a photo of the Kremlin and an updated profile photo of a man in a uniform operating a drone. It says he is from Holyoke and currently lives in Moscow and works at the Russian Defense Ministry, which is spelled in Russian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under Rhode Island law, Puello-Mota\u2019s trial cannot begin without him being present.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Video surfaced that appears to show vet Wilmer Puello-Mota in Russia, expressing support for the country\u2019s war against 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