US military veteran accused of having explicit images of a child apparently joined Russian army
BOSTON — A U.S. Air Force veteran fleeing charges of possessing sexually explicit images of a child told his lawyer he had joined the Russian military. Video appears to show him signing documents at a military recruiting office in Siberia.
Wilmer Puello-Mota, a former elected official in a small Massachusetts town, was scheduled to enter a guilty plea in Rhode Island in early January but failed to show up in court, according to prosecutors. Last week, a video emerged showing the 28-year-old in Russia expressing support for the country’s war against Ukraine – footage that could be used to promote Moscow’s narrative on the conflict.
His attorney, 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.
“He said, ‘I joined the Russian army,’ or something like that,” Cicilline told the Globe. “I thought he was joking.”
Cicilline said Puello-Mota wanted a career in politics and thought the criminal case had ruined his life.
“I’m sure he joined the Russian military because he didn’t want to register as a sex offender,” Cicilline said.
The Associated Press called Cicilline several times. A person who answered his office phone said he would have no further comment.
Puello-Mota served in the U.S. Air Force and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2015 when he was 19, according to press reports. He later served in the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard as a security forces pilot.
Puello-Mota was arrested in Warwick, Rhode Island, in 2020 after he called to report a stolen gun and police said they found nude photos of a 17-year-old girl on his phone. He was accused of having sexually explicit images of a child. He was also later accused of misleading prosecutors and his commanders about the case. Cicilline told the Globe that he had reached an agreement to plead guilty to all charges in exchange for an 18-month prison sentence.
In March, videos appeared on Russian social media and local television showing the blurry image of a man in uniform in what appears to be a war zone, carrying an American flag.
In a video posted online last week, a man resembling 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 make no mention of the criminal case in Rhode Island.
President Vladimir Putin has eliminated nearly all independent media in Russia — and state media regularly proclaim Russian victories in Ukraine, castigate the West and otherwise amplify the good news while ignoring the bad.
The Rhode Island attorney general’s office said in a court document last month that it had received images purporting to show Puello-Mota in Ukraine and Russia.
“While the state cannot verify the authenticity of the videos and photos, if accurate, the suspect is far beyond the jurisdiction of this court, and if false, he is involved in an elaborate ruse to conceal his whereabouts Rhode Island prosecutors said. said.
U.S. State Department officials said they were aware of media reports about Puello-Mota’s flight to Russia, but that they have not had contact with him and have no way to confirm those reports .
The most recent video appears to show Puello-Mota entering a building in Khanty-Mansiysk and shaking hands with a man in uniform. At the end of the video you can see him signing a document.
The AP verified the location after examining satellite images and historical photos of the area. According to a plaque on the door, it is a military recruitment center operated by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
“It is obviously a difficult situation. It is war. It is a special military operation,” Puello-Mota says in the video, adding that he was fortunate to be with “people from the international brigade.”
“We have done our job. We have done our job. We did what we had to do,” he said. “I was very lucky and lucky to serve with those guys. I would definitely do it again.”
Ian Garner, an assistant professor of politics at Queen’s University in Canada, called it “a huge propaganda opportunity” for Russia.
“To be able to show off an American citizen who has chosen to reinvent himself, reform himself and become part of the Russian war machine seems to provide evidence that Russia is winning a much bigger spiritual war,” he said.
Puello-Mota held the rank of technical sergeant when he was forced to leave the Guard in October 2022 due to the criminal case, said Don Veitch, a spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard. His security clearance was also revoked.
Holyoke Councilman 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.
“For me, that’s it,” he said.
He knew of no connection between Puello-Mota and Russia and called the images ‘shocking’.
“The Wil I knew was a good, decent person,” Bartley said.
A Facebook page attributed to Puello-Mota includes a photo of the Kremlin and an updated profile photo of a man in uniform flying a drone. It says he is from Holyoke and currently lives in Moscow and works at the Russian Ministry of Defense, which is spelled in Russian.
Under Rhode Island law, Puello-Mota’s trial cannot begin without him present.
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Perry reported from Meredith, NH Associated Press reporters Beatrice Dupuy and Rhonda Shafner in New York also contributed.