Couple faces federal charges in connection with ICE incident in Tempe

PHOENIX — A couple was indicted Tuesday in connection with a Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) incident in Tempe last week, federal authorities said.

Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, 40, an Iranian national, was charged with possession of a firearm. Linet Vartanniavartanians, his 37-year-old wife, was charged with threatening to assault a federal officer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

If Eidivand is convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. If Vartanniavartanians is convicted, she faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Why was the couple charged in the Tempe ICE incident?

Prosecutors said ICE officers went to the couple’s home on Saturday to arrest Eidivand for not following a 2013 removal order. Eidivand had contested the removal order several times but was denied by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

When authorities arrived, Vartanniavartanians refused to let the officers into their home and told the officers to return with a search warrant. Tempe police officers then arrived on scene and told ICE officers that Vartanniavartanians called police and threatened to shoot the officers. A police dispatcher later spoke with Eidivand and he confirmed firearms were inside the home.

The following day, Homeland Security Investigations agents and ICE officers entered the residence with a search warrant. Agents then found two firearms inside the home, according to prosecutors. Vartanniavartanians and Eidivand were then taken into custody without further incident.

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