A former Air National Guardsman has allegedly defected and joined the Russian army in its fight against Ukraine, according to the Rhode Island attorney general's office.
Wilmer Puello-Mota, 28, a former security forces technical sergeant with the Massachusetts Air National Guard, allegedly fled the country in response to a pending criminal case against him for possession of child pornography. Social media posts claim he volunteered with the Russian military and fought against Ukrainians in a fierce battle for a key eastern city.
"We are aware Mr. Puello-Mota left the country in response to civil criminal charges filed against him," Don Veitch, a spokesperson for the 104th Fighter Wing in Massachusetts, told Military.com in an email.
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The charges, which Veitch called "very serious," led to Puello-Mota's separation from the Guard in October 2022. "Criminal activity is not compatible with our values as an organization and will not be tolerated in our ranks," he said.
Before joining the National Guard, Puello-Mota served in the active-duty Air Force, also as a security forces airman, according to an Air Force press release about the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing's 2015 deployment to Afghanistan.
Puello-Mota was charged in 2020 with possession of child pornography after allegedly soliciting nude photos from a teenager, legal documents show. He was a city councilman in the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts, from January 2022 to January of this year through most of the legal proceedings stemming from the charge.
According to court documents provided to Military.com by the office of the Rhode Island attorney general, Puello-Mota was last known to be in Istanbul, Turkey. He boarded a flight Jan. 7, two days before he was supposed to be in court regarding the child pornography charges, departing from Dulles International Airport in Virginia for Turkey.
Posts from both Puello-Mota on Facebook and users of the social media platform Telegram allegedly in Russia claim the former Guardsman had joined Russian President Vladmir Putin's army in his war against Ukraine.
In a post on Telegram, a video of what posters say is Puello-Mota shows him signing up to serve in the Russian army.
"'Will' served in the US Armed Forces, but realizing what was really happening in Ukraine, several months ago he came to the North Military District as a volunteer," the video reads. "Together with the Russian guys, shoulder to shoulder, I liberated Avdiivka."
Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022. Since the start of the war, the U.S. has sent Ukraine approximately $44.2 billion in security assistance, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service in February.
U.S. troops have spent the last two years training Ukrainian and other allied Eastern European forces on weapons systems and tactics in the hope of deterring Russia from invading other neighboring countries.
While it's unclear whether the social media posts are genuine, court documents reveal that they are considered evidence enough of Puello-Mota having left U.S. jurisdiction.
"The state has received photos and videos purporting to be the defendant in Russia and Ukraine, where he is alleged to have joined the Russian military," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha wrote. "While 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."
Because Puello-Mota is involved in an ongoing case, Neronha's office told Military.com in an email that there would be no further comment available at this time.
Usually, the Massachusetts National Guard waits until civilian legal proceedings are completed before taking action against its service members.
Last summer, a U.S. soldier in South Korea crossed the demilitarized zone and fled into North Korea, according to the Army. Pvt. Travis King had just been released from South Korean detention after being held on assault charges and was bound for Fort Bliss, Texas, according to the Defense Department.
Instead, King ended up on a tourism tour to the border village of Panmunjom, from which he made his escape. He was returned to the U.S. in September and now faces eight different charges from the Army, including child pornography and desertion.
Editor's note: This story was updated to correct the time period that Puello-Mota served as a councilman.
-- Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.
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