Blademir Angulo Audeves, 42, was arrested in early July after federal agents executed a search warrant for his Valley home, three physical locations of his business and a 16th Avenue home where several of his undocumented employees were living. Twelve of Angulo Audeves’ undocumented employees were picked up during the execution of the July 8 search warrants as well.
Later that month, he pleaded not guilty to four counts related to his firearm possession and employing undocumented immigrants. But over a month after his initial plea, federal prosecutors agreed to drop two charges in exchange for guilty pleas on two other counts.
In a hearing on Wednesday at the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in downtown Phoenix, the Mexico-born Angulo Audeves copped to firearm possession as an undocumented immigrant and to a “pattern of practice of knowingly employing unauthorized aliens.”
As a part of the plea, Angulo Audeves agreed to forfeit several guns plus ammunition to the government. He also forfeited two of El Taco Loko’s food trucks, including the souped-up taco truck, a 2007 Blue Bird bus, and a taco trailer. Another cargo van, which was used for the businesses, was also forfeited as part of his plea agreement.
El Taco Loko offered a wide menu of tacos, burritos, birria and ramen dishes. Its owner was arrested on July 8.
Mike Madriaga
The firearm charge is a felony offense, which carries a maximum penalty of a $250,000 fine and 15 years in prison, as well as three years of supervised release. The “pattern of practice” offense is a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum fine of $3,000 per each “unauthorized alien” — Angulo Audeves employed 12, per court documents — and six months in prison.
However, Angulo Audeves’ plea agreement states that he could face as little as 12 months in prison. Once he is released, though, he is likely to land in the custody of federal immigration authorities.
The crimes he pleaded guilty to are “removable offenses,” and his plea makes it “practically inevitable and a virtual certainty” that he’ll be “removed or deported” from the U.S., court documents said.
Prior to his arrest, Angulo Audeves’ bus was among the Valley’s most distinctive mobile food trucks, outfitted with LED lights, a vinyl-wrapped exterior and an El Taco Loko mascot. Diners could enjoy their carne asada tripas, quesabirria and birria ramen inside the diesel bus. But now, it’s the property of the federal government.
However, the future of the restaurant’s brick-and-mortar location, which Angulo Audeves opened in 2017 and ran with his wife and son, on Indian School Road and 67th Avenue in west Phoenix, is uncertain. The restaurant’s website and social media accounts remain live, but the phones are left unanswered.
