Wilmer Puello-Mota
Wilmer Puello-Mota | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996 or 1997 |
| Allegiance | United States (2015—2022) Russia (2024—Present) |
| Branch | United States Air Force (2015—2019) Massachusetts Air National Guard (2019—2022) Russian Ground Forces (2024—Present) |
| Unit | 104th Fighter Wing (2019—2024) |
| Conflicts | War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
Wilmer Puello-Mota (1996 or 1997) is a former Holyoke, Massachusetts city councilor and military veteran who fled the United States on January 8, 2024, to Russia two days before he was scheduled to plead guilty to child pornography and obstruction of justice charges in Rhode Island.[1]
Political and military career
When Puello-Mota was 19, he joined the United States Air Force for six years deploying to Afghanistan in 2015 to fight in the war in Afghanistan.[2] Puello-Mota later joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard in June 2019, rising to the rank of technical sergeant with the 104th Fighter Wing.[3] Puello-Mota served as a member of the Holyoke City Council in Massachusetts from 2021 to 2023, representing Ward 2, a predominantly Puerto Rican district after winning the 2021 election receiving 400 votes and was the first candidate of Latino descent.[4] His military service was terminated in October 2022 after he was charged with possessing child pornography and forging and counterfeiting military documents to avoid prosecution.[5] Despite these charges, Puello-Mota continued to serve as a councilman until January 2024.[6] On January 7, 2024, Puello-Mota evaded prosecution after planning on pleading guilty on January 9 of the same year by going to the Dulles International Airport bound for Istanbul, Turkey to enter Russia which was acknowledged by Rhode Island Attorney General .[7] In April 2024, videos were shown from pro-Kremlin news sources on Telegram showing Puello-Mota enlisting for the Russian army at an enlistment center in Khanty-Mansiysk of western Siberia with the caption "An American signed a military contract at the patriots centre in Khanty-Mansiysk" though prior to this official enlistment release Puello-Mota was shown fighting alongside Russian soldiers during the capture of Avdiivka in Ukraine, planting a U.S. flag during the capture.[8] In another video released in August 2024, Puello-Mota denounced the United States' actions against Russia while he also states that he does not believe he's a "traitor" to the United States.[9]
On October 10, 2025, Puello-Mota attempted to vote in a Holyoke city election while fighting for Russia which was met with legal scrutiny with his ballot being set for legal review.[10] A week later, his absentee ballot was denied after legal review due to the fact he didn’t indicate he was living overseas, didn’t provide his address outside of the country, as well as he didn’t say which method he’d prefer to receive his ballot according to a city clerk.[11]
References
- ^ LeBlanc, Steve; Perry, Nick (2024-04-11). "Former Mass. city councilor accused of having explicit images of a child apparently joined Russian army". WBUR-FM. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ Sampson, Eve (2024-08-21). "Ex-U.S. Airman Charged With Child Pornography Appears in Russian Propaganda Video". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ Talmazan, Yuliya; Gains, Mosheh; Siemaszko, Corky (2024-08-19). "U.S. vet wanted on child porn charge appears to be fighting for Russia against Ukraine". NBC News. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ García, Marcela (2024-04-09). "The strange tale of a former Holyoke city councilor - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. ISSN 0743-1791. OCLC 66652431. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ Pantalone, John (2024-01-11). "Arrest warrant issued for former Holyoke city councilor, Wilmer Puello-Mota". The Republican. ISSN 2641-2829. OCLC 52000893. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ "US military veteran seemingly joins Russian army amid criminal probe". Scripps News. 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ DeGray, Nick (2024-03-14). "Rhode Island AG acknowledges Wilmer Puello-Mota is evading child pornography case". WWLP. Archived from the original on 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ Sauer, Pjotr (2024-04-05). "Fugitive former US city councillor enlists with Russia for war in Ukraine". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ Merzbach, Scott (2024-08-19). "Ex-Holyoke councilor Puello-Mota now stars in Russian Army propaganda video". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ Wallenta, Corina (2025-10-10). "Ex-Holyoke official in Russia seeks voting rights amid evading child porn charges". WWLP. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ Goodman, Susan; Gardyna, Mark (2025-10-25). "Holyoke releases details on Wilmer Puello-Mota's rejected absentee ballot". WGGB-TV. Retrieved 2026-03-12.