Mexican federal agents arrested a 68-year-old American in Mérida on Wednesday who is wanted in Florida on four outstanding warrants for fraud and identity theft.
Several national news outlets, citing official sources, identified the suspect as Richard Panas, who was linked to a criminal cell that specializes in fraud and identity theft. They did not name the group, describe the alleged schemes or say how many people may have been victimized.
The operation brought together the Mexican Navy, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection and the Criminal Investigation Agency of the federal Attorney General’s Office, known as the FGR, working with the National Migration Institute.
After intelligence work and an exchange of information with foreign agencies, agents set up security perimeters and surveillance patrols in the municipality of Mérida. When they found the man and approached to confirm his identity, he could not show that he was in Mexico legally, according to the official statement. He was detained on that basis, informed of his rights and taken to immigration facilities.
Federal officials said the next steps are to settle his legal status and arrange his deportation. The Security Cabinet credited coordination among agencies and international cooperation, and said the effort respected Mexico’s sovereignty.
As Forbes México reported, official sources confirmed the four Florida warrants but declined to identify the group he is tied to.
Not the first Florida case
Mérida has seen this before. In 2022, a Sarasota man wanted on child pornography charges since 2016 was arrested in the city, deported and handed to U.S. authorities in Miami the same day.
In an earlier case, one of Florida’s most-wanted suspects was tracked to Mérida after a joint investigation by U.S. city, county and federal agencies. And in January, authorities in Yucatán arrested a Cuban national wanted in connection with a 2025 homicide in Miami.
Deportation tends to be the quicker route in these cases. When a wanted foreigner cannot prove legal status, Mexico can send that person home through immigration channels instead of a formal extradition, which runs through the courts.
Fraud tops Yucatán’s crime list
Fraud is also a local concern. According to the 2026 National Survey of Victimization and Perception of Public Security, known as ENVIPE, fraud was the most common crime in Yucatán in 2025, ahead of threats and extortion.
Officials have not said whether the Florida case has any victims in Mexico, or how long the suspect had been living in Mérida.
Fast Facts
- Who: Richard Panas, 68, U.S. citizen (officially identified as Richard “N”)
- Wanted for: Fraud and identity theft in Florida
- Warrants: Four active arrest warrants
- Arrested: Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Mérida
- Agencies: Mexican Navy, SSPC and the FGR’s Criminal Investigation Agency, with the National Migration Institute
- Status: In immigration custody pending deportation
With reporting from Luces del Siglo, Diario de Yucatán, El Universal, Infobae and Forbes México