Mayor of Nogales, Octavio Garcia Von Borstel, and his father were arrested on charges of money laundering and fraud on September 30, according to Fox 11 Arizona.

The city is forced to carry on as business as usual even though Garcia remains locked up at the Santa Cruz County sheriff’s office.

While the shock of the arrest is apparent throughout the city, City Manager Shane Dille said, “I came to work this morning at eight o’clock and we were running, rocking and rolling with just the normal day to day routine, what we need to do to provide services to the community,” reported Fox 11.



Vice Mayor Olga Valdez will take over as interim mayor while Garcia’s criminal case moves forward.

Fortunately for the city, the mayor is of a ceremonial figure while the city manager makes the decisions as a CEO.

The mayor and his father remain in jail under a $250,000 bail.

“[He was] somebody who had put himself in a position of doing a lot of good for a lot of people,” said Dille.  “If at the end of the day the law determines that he is guilty I would think that is a huge tragedy,” according to Fox 11.

Life in local government can certainly get difficult at times. However, when you think times are rough in your area … well, “It Could Be Worse.”

“It Could Be Worse” focuses on a range of embarrassing stories out there, dedicated to some of the more interesting happenings with those involved in local government across the country. For more, click here.