Jimmy Hughes

Jimmy Hughes was a self-described "Mafia hit-man" and a former Army Ranger. He was a key figure in the investigation of the 1981 triple homicide of Fred Alvarez, Ralph Boger, and Patricia Castro in Rancho Mirage, California. Hughes was arrested on September 26, 2009, at Miami-Dade International Airport on a fugitive warrant from the California DOJ for three counts of murder and conspiracy to commit a crime.¹

Criminal Activities and Government Connections

Hughes admitted to a bloody past, stating he became a professional hit man for the Mafia after a six-year military career. He claimed to have killed numerous people, including half a dozen at a party when he was paid to kill only one man. He also stated that he worked for the CIA in covert missions outside the United States and that the FBI protected him in exchange for information, placing him in a Witness Protection Program.¹

Hughes was the security director of the Cabazon Indian Reservation and Bingo operations for four years until early 1984. He reported that he was instructed in Dr. John Philip Nichols' presence to take $5,000 as partial payment for the Alvarez killings. He later alleged that Dr. John Philip Nichols was involved in criminal activities, including issuing contracts to commit murder, and that the gambling enterprises were fronts for U.S. government-sanctioned covert military activities and arms shipments to Central and South America.¹

Hughes outlined his military training, including Rangers and Delta Force, which transformed him into an "elite soldier." He claimed to have specialized in plastic explosives and as a sniper. He also stated that he was trained to defend his country and fight enemies of democracy and freedom, but later sold his "talent for gifts or money" to the Mafia, murdering individuals for sums ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.¹

Arrest and Legal Proceedings

John Powers, a Detective at the Riverside Sheriff's Department, was officially present at Hughes' arrest to confirm his identity. Powers obtained a Governor's Warrant to bring Hughes back to California. The California State Attorney General is prosecuting the case because the current Riverside County district attorney, Rod Pacheco, is a second cousin of Hughes.¹

Hughes waived extradition in court on December 3, 2009, and was brought back to California. However, the case was later dismissed on July 1, 2010, by Deputy Attorney General Mike Murphy, who stated that new information had been developed that was not known to law enforcement when the charges were filed. Hughes was set free, despite John Powers' belief in his guilt and Rachel Begley's strong opposition.¹

Religious and Political Connections

Hughes joined FGBMFI (Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International) in 1987 and subsequently founded Jimmy Hughes Ministries – Free the Oppressed in Honduras. He openly admitted his past as a Mafia hit-man on the FGBMFI website. He was a high-standing member of FGBMFI and a keynote speaker at a dinner event in Fresno, California, in February 2008, alongside General Daniel Lopez Carballo of Honduras.¹

Hughes' ministries operate in Zambrano, Honduras, where he ministers to the military and trains military personnel. He was allegedly involved in the planning of the Honduras coup in June 2009, which ousted President Manuel Zelaya. The interim de-facto president of Honduras, Roberto Micheletti, was placed in office by coup leaders General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez and General Daniel Lopez Carballo, both friends of Hughes and members of FGBMFI.¹