by Crystal Bonvillian at News Nation
- James and Kelly Larsen, of Sandy, were arrested April 23
- Sons Maxwell and Zachary Larsen were arrested in Texas
- Family is accused of smuggling 2,881 shipments of crude oil into U.S.
A Utah couple and their sons face federal charges following their arrests in April for allegedly working with Mexican cartels to smuggle more than $300 million worth of stolen oil into the U.S.
James Lael Jensen and his wife, Kelly Anne Jensen, were arrested on April 23 at their mansion in Sandy, Utah. Their sons, Maxwell Sterling Jensen and Zachary Golden Jensen, were arrested that same day in Texas.
All four family members were indicted in the U.S. District Court of Southern Texas, where they are accused of smuggling 2,881 shipments of stolen crude oil into the country via barges that were then docked at their Rio Hondo-based facility, Arroyo Terminals. The scheme allegedly began in May 2022.
Utah parents refused to leave home when agents arrived: Prosecutors
James and Maxwell Jensen are charged with money laundering and the smuggling of goods, according to federal court records. Kelly and Zachary Jensen are charged with money laundering.
Prosecutors said in court that James and Kelly Jensen refused to exit their home when agents arrived to arrest them. According to MySanAntonio, U.S. marshals had to use a battering ram to enter the home.
“James Jensen conspired with his wife, Kelly Jensen, and two of his sons, Maxwell and Zachary Jensen, to launder proceeds from sales of illegally imported crude oil,” reads an arrest warrant obtained by ABC 4 in Salt Lake City. “The payments for this crude oil were directed to businesses in Mexico that operate only through the permission of Mexican criminal organization(s).”