New details show ex-Phoenix officer allegedly spent stolen pay on vacations and gambling

PHOENIX – New police records are shedding light on the alleged scheme a former Phoenix police officer used to steal nearly $12,000 from fellow officers who worked an off-duty security job he coordinated at two Valley charter schools.

A Maricopa County grand jury indicted Ulises Oseguera on April 2 on one count of fraudulent schemes and one count of theft.

A probable cause statement alleges the total loss is at least $11,750 involving four officers, with four additional officers believed to be owed money who declined to participate in the investigation.

Oseguera served with the Phoenix Police Department for nine years before resigning in December. The department had already launched a criminal investigation into the theft allegations at the time of his resignation.

How prosecutors say this ex-cop stole and spent from other officers

These new records detail Oseguera’s off-duty assignment for Legacy Traditional Schools at its Deer Valley and Laveen campuses from October 2023 through February 2025.

Other officers were hired to assist with student pickup and drop-off and to serve as school resource officers as needed, earning $90 an hour.

Oseguera billed the schools’ management company, Vertex Education, through invoices submitted weeks in advance of the scheduled shifts. Court records allege Oseguera was in charge of paying other officers.

Investigators said bank records showed he was paid consistently, typically within a few weeks of submitting each invoice, but often never paid the other officers who worked the shifts.

For coordinating the program, Oseguera received an additional $90 per hour in fees, totaling $24,300 at the Deer Valley campus between January 2024 and February 2025, and $5,310 at the Laveen campus during the 2024-2025 school year.

What did Oseguera allegedly say to investigators?

When officers confronted him about missing payments, Oseguera often told them the school had not paid him yet, according to the probable cause statement. Detectives said a review of his bank records contradicted that claim and indicated he instead used the money for vacations and on gambling websites.

The case was referred to the department’s Special Investigations Detail after officers reported they had not been paid. Detectives gathered invoices through a search warrant and reviewed text messages between Oseguera and the officers establishing work dates and pay requests.

In an interview with detectives, Oseguera said he began going through a divorce in September 2024 and blamed bad bookkeeping for the missed payments, denying any intent to defraud the officers. He did not explain the lack of payments prior to September 2024, according to the report.

Felony theft charges were submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in January. The Professional Standards Bureau later completed an internal review and confirmed the elements of the case, police said.

Oseguera is scheduled to be arraigned on April 30.

This is an updated version of a story originally published on April 21, 2026.

Related

3 Phoenix police officers violated policy in 2020 false gang allegations against BLM protestersTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Trump admin ‘laser-focused’ on Arizona semiconductorsMissing Mesa boy found safe in Tennessee with his mother, who is under investigationWestbound Interstate 10 reopens in West Valley after fatal collisionA healthier home starts with comfort and clean airFogo de Chao opens 2nd Valley location in Gilbert