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Pima County supervisors move to oust sheriff leading Nancy Guthrie kidnapping probe over perjury claims
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona sheriff leading the investigation into the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie is facing calls from two members of his county’s five-person board of supervisors to step down amid allegations that he lied about his past record as a Texas cop before joining his department in the 1980s.
Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, and her unsolved kidnapping has drawn national attention to Pima County in Arizona, where Sheriff Chris Nanos is three months into a search for her while fending off lawsuits from current and former members of his own department and trading barbs with the FBI.
“This is accountability for a guy who has evaded accountability for decades and is himself a public safety threat,” said Dr. Matt Heinz, a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
Heinz, a Democrat, and the five-person board’s only Republican, Supervisor Steve Christy, both told Fox News Digital they plan to move to have Nanos’ office vacated at a meeting next week following allegations that he lied about a history of suspensions and other disciplinary actions he received in the 1970s and 1980s as a member of the El Paso Police Department.
NANCY GUTHRIE SHERIFF TO GET DRAGGED TO HOT SEAT AS STALLED CASE STIRS UP PAST SCANDALS
They’ll need more support to succeed, however, and it’s not immediately clear that they have it.
“If the board doesn’t want to move ahead with vacating the office, I’m pretty sure that they will want to do something meaningful like a resolution expressing lack of confidence and the referral for prosecution,” Heinz said.
It doesn’t take a majority to ask the state attorney general to look into recently lobbed allegations of perjury, he said. But a unanimous vote would add weight, he added.
PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY AS CRITICISM IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE RAMPS UP
If an investigation leads to charges and then a conviction, Nanos would be forced to step down, he said.
The board doesn’t have broad authority over the sheriff because he holds an elected office. However, Christy said members have some authority to act based on an 1873 Arizona law.
That’s because Nanos allegedly missed a deadline to meet the board’s demand to answer questions under oath, the two supervisors said.
“He’s already failed that request. The timeline for him to provide that is over,” Christy told Fox News Digital. “So there’s no going back…It’s too late for that. So we’re into the next phase of if he doesn’t resign, then we will move toward, or at least two of us on the board will move toward, vacating his office.”
Christy added that since all of the board members and sheriff are duly elected officials, both sides are using outside counsel rather than the county attorney’s office, costing taxpayers more money.
“My position is that unless in the next few days before the board meeting next week, if he doesn’t resign or if he doesn’t retire in an honorable fashion, which is available to him, then I will move and I will support any effort by the Board of Supervisors to vacate the office, which is part of the regulation,” Christy told Fox News Digital.
EMAILS REVEAL REALITY TV CREW’S BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS TO SHERIFF NOW LEADING NANCY GUTHRIE PROBE
The allegations of perjury originated after a deposition in a lawsuit against Nanos from the president of the county deputies union.
According to a transcript, the sheriff said under oath that he’d never been suspended as a law enforcement officer.
However, records from El Paso appear to contradict that claim. He was suspended numerous times and resigned in lieu of termination, according to public records obtained by the Arizona Republic and later posted to the county board’s website.
SHERIFF’S OFFICE AT CENTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SPOTLIGHTED IN NEW ‘DESERT LAW’ TV SERIES
Then an attorney for Nanos explained it like this:
“Sheriff Nanos resigned from the El Paso Police Department in 1982. At the time of his resignation, he held the rank of corporal. His resignation came in the wake of a dispute with a supervisor over the towing of vehicles. The supervisor wanted to impose a three-day suspension for insubordination. Sheriff Nanos appealed that recommended discipline to the Chief, who found in favor of the supervisor. Rather than accept a three-day suspension, Sheriff Nanos offered to resign in lieu of discipline. The Chief accepted his offer and Sheriff Nanos resigned.”
The record indicates Nanos resigned in lieu of “termination,” not in lieu of “discipline,” which Heinz said is an inaccurate portrayal. Nanos had been suspended multiple times and subjected to other disciplinary actions for a number of alleged incidents involving tardiness to work, violations of department orders, off-duty conduct and negligently firing a gun.
SHERIFF UNDER FIRE AMID NANCY GUTHRIE CASE ALLEGEDLY BROUGHT LOADED FIREARM TO AIRPORT CHECKPOINT
Although Nanos declined to answer questions in person under oath, Heinz said he sent a “notarized statement” to the board “swearing to the veracity of the report under penalty of perjury.”
This came after the deadline, however, but Heinz said the board will likely accept it anyway.
That may not help the sheriff.
“He lied under oath to the board about his separation from El Paso PD,” Heinz said Wednesday. “And we will consider referring his perjury to the [attorney general] for prosecution.”
Nanos and his office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It’s been more than 13 weeks since Guthrie’s abduction from her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood drew a national spotlight to the community.
FBI NANCY GUTHRIE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN AIMS FOR ‘CRUCIAL PIECE OF INFORMATION’
A ban on parking in her neighborhood remained in place weeks after the massive media presence evaporated, and there have been few substantive updates aside from news that a hair sample recovered inside Guthrie’s home has been sent from the sheriff’s preferred private lab in Florida to the FBI.
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That detail itself led to renewed strain between Nanos and the FBI. Federal investigators had wanted to have the DNA tests done at Quantico from the beginning, but Nanos, whose department is heading the investigation, refused.
Although tensions had cooled in the months that followed, Nanos and FBI Director Kash Patel traded barbs publicly Tuesday.
NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SPARKS CLASH AS FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL RIPS SHERIFF
WATCH: Patel calls out sheriff in Guthrie case: FBI was ‘kept out of the investigation’
“What we, the FBI, do is say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help. What do you need?’” Patel told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on his podcast, “Hang Out with Sean Hannity.”
“And for four days, we were kept out of the investigation,” he added.
Nanos countered with a statement claiming the FBI had been involved in the probe from the start, and he downplayed concerns about his earlier decision.
SHERIFF IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SAYS NO GLOVE FOUND AT HOME, DEFENDS ONGOING WORK WITH FBI
“The laboratory utilized by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico have worked in close partnership from the outset and continue to collaborate in the analysis of evidence,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
“A member of the FBI Task Force was also notified and present at that scene working alongside our personnel. The FBI was promptly notified by both our department and the Guthrie family,” he added. “While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay.”
The task force member was a county detective qualified to be part of the FBI Joint Task Force who acts as a liaison between the county and the bureau, according to the sheriff’s department.
ARIZONA SHERIFF BLOCKING FBI FROM KEY EVIDENCE IN ESCALATING GUTHRIE CASE: SOURCE
Federal law enforcement sources previously told Fox News Digital that it took days before the FBI was asked to help.
In addition to calling for the sheriff to step down, Heinz is also urging him to hand over leadership of the Guthrie investigation to the FBI.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “Almost every other local jurisdiction would have done so by now. Actually, it usually happens within days because then the FBI covers the vast majority of the cost of the investigation instead of the county or city. So aside from maybe NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston and some other large cities, any other jurisdiction would have asked for the FBI to take the lead.”
There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that cracks the case. The family is urging tipsters to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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ALERT: Trump Set To Make ‘Special Announcement’ From Oval Office
President Donald Trump is set to make an Oval Office announcement Monday afternoon, but the White House is keeping the subject under wraps.
According to the official daily guidance and press schedule released Sunday night, Trump will make the announcement at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, September 28.
The schedule provides just one tantalizing line: “THE PRESIDENT makes an Announcement.”
The event will take place in the Oval Office and will be open to the White House Press Pool. No additional details about what Trump plans to announce were provided.
Trump has a packed schedule leading up to the event.
His calendar includes executive time at 8 a.m., followed by policy meetings at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. The Oval Office announcement follows at 2 p.m., with a print interview scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Trump spent Sunday at the President’s Cup in Medinah, Illinois, before returning to Washington.
After arriving, the president briefly spoke with reporters on the tarmac and revealed that his day still wasn’t over, noting that he had a 10 p.m. dinner meeting scheduled with Anthropic founder Dario Amodei.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump hints that his big announcement tomorrow in the Oval Office is related to his meeting with ANTHROPIC
And his meeting is TONIGHT at 10pm
DESPITE the long day today in Chicago. REALLY incredible how he can do it. pic.twitter.com/snEZd99jCE
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 28, 2026
“So that’s a long day, right?! We leave early in the morning, and now I have a dinner with Anthropic,” the president said.
Trump also noted that he had held lengthy discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and several additional American technology leaders earlier in the week.
For now, exactly what Trump intends to reveal Monday remains unknown.
The White House had not released additional information about the announcement as of this report.
The 2 p.m. Oval Office time slot has previously been used by the administration for policy announcements, including healthcare-related events. In those instances, the White House similarly announced the time and location beforehand while withholding the substance of the announcement until the event.
Monday’s announcement will be available through official White House livestreams and available press pool coverage.
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CEO Charged In Scheme To Infiltrate Secret Service
A U.S. tech CEO and a Russian national have been arrested in a federal case alleging they concealed Russian ownership and software development while securing U.S. government contracts — including work involving the Secret Service.
Federal prosecutors say Lee Reiber, 55, CEO of Virginia-based Oxygen Forensics Inc., and Oleg Sergeyevich Davydov, 52, of Moscow, hid the company’s Russian ties while selling digital forensics technology to federal agencies.
Reiber was arrested in Idaho on September 20 and later released on bond. Davydov was arrested the same day at London’s Heathrow Airport while preparing to board a flight to Istanbul. U.S. authorities intend to seek his extradition.
“The CEO of a Virginia-based software company and a Russian national have been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging them with concealing from U.S. government agencies that their company was owned and controlled by Russian nationals and that its software was developed in Russia,” prosecutors said.
Authorities allege Reiber made representations to the federal government that directly contradicted the company’s actual ownership and development structure.
They further stated that “Reiber allegedly represented to the government that the company had no foreign ownership or control and that its software was developed in the United States, when in fact five Russian nationals, including Davydov, owned and controlled the company and its software was developed in Russia.”
Importantly, the criminal complaint does not allege that Oxygen Forensics’ software contained malicious code or that it was used to obtain unauthorized access to customers’ systems or data.
But the alleged concealment becomes particularly significant because of who was buying the company’s technology.
According to an affidavit supporting the complaint, beginning in March 2022, Reiber, Davydov and others allegedly conspired to obtain federal contracts through Oxygen Forensics.
The company’s software is designed to recover, preserve and analyze information extracted from digital devices.
Federal agencies identified in the affidavit include the Department of War as well as Department of Homeland Security components, including the Secret Service and its National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), Homeland Security Investigations and the DHS Office of Inspector General.
Prosecutors allege the company presented a dramatically different picture of itself to the U.S. government than what existed behind the scenes.
“According to the affidavit, Oxygen Forensics held itself out to the U.S. government as being an independent, U.S.-based company. In fact, Davydov and four other Russian nationals owned and controlled the company through a holding company based in Cyprus,” prosecutors said.
The Russian connections allegedly extended well beyond ownership.
According to the affidavit, the same five individuals owned a Russian company formerly known as Oxygen Software LLC and later renamed MKO Systems LLC. Davydov co-founded that company in 2000, and developers worked in Russia.
MKO reportedly sold similar software inside Russia to customers that included the FSB, the Russian Investigative Committee and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Davydov served as the Russian company’s chief technology officer and helped establish the Virginia-based firm in 2013.
Then came Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and expanded U.S. sanctions.
According to federal investigators, that is when efforts to conceal the company’s Russian ownership and development structure intensified.
The affidavit alleges that the parties agreed to hide both Russian ownership and the role Russian developers played in producing the software.
Reiber was installed as Oxygen Forensics’ CEO, president and board chairman in March 2022.
Russian owners were removed from public corporate filings, according to the affidavit, but prosecutors allege their actual power over the company remained.
The Russian owners allegedly continued making significant corporate decisions, setting Reiber’s compensation, overruling him on payments and retaining signing authority over company bank accounts.
Federal investigators also pointed to certifications submitted directly to the government.
In December 2022 and again in October 2023, Reiber allegedly certified that Oxygen Forensics had no immediate or highest-level owner.
Then, in November 2023, a reporter began asking questions about the company’s ownership.
According to the affidavit, Reiber subsequently wrote to Davydov and two other owners that the resulting public reporting “could destroy this entire opportunity,” referring to a pending NCFI contract.
He also warned that the “current existence of this company hangs in the balance.”
The government’s allegations did not stop there.
In July 2024, prosecutors say that, at Reiber’s direction, the company certified to the Department of War that no foreign person controlled the appointment of directors or company decisions.
Then, in March 2026, Reiber allegedly told DHS personnel that no Russian was involved in software development and that nobody in Russia had access to the company’s build environment.
Federal investigators allege the reality was very different.
According to the affidavit, the software was written and managed by a Russian development team operating under Davydov in a cloud environment administered by one of the Russian owners.
The allegations now place the company’s federal contracting history — and its representations about who actually owned, controlled and developed its technology — at the center of a major federal criminal case.
Reiber and Davydov have been charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The allegations contained in the complaint remain accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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Trump Torches Supreme Court Over Controversial New Ruling
President Donald Trump unloaded on the U.S. Supreme Court on Sunday after the justices blocked Missouri from using its controversial 2025 congressional map in the upcoming midterm elections — a decision with potentially significant consequences for control of the U.S. House.
The map, which Missouri used during this year’s primary elections, was designed in a way that could have given Republicans an opportunity to pick up another congressional seat. But after months of legal battles and conflicting court rulings, the Supreme Court put an end to its use in the November 3 general election.
Trump wasted little time responding.
“The Supreme Court of the United States will just not let Missouri have an Election Victory. They continuously, three times now, overrule Judges who came to the correct decisions,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
The president then praised Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe and those who fought to keep the new congressional districts in place.
“Thank you to the Governor, and all of the Great People of Missouri, who are fighting so hard for Fairness and Election Security. Such tremendous Spirit and Love of our Country. I won Missouri BIG, all three times, and I couldn’t be more proud of doing so. A great place — I love you all,” the president continued.
The Supreme Court’s Friday order brought another dramatic turn in a redistricting fight that has bounced between state and federal courts.
The order, issued without noted dissents, halted a federal appeals court directive that would have required Missouri to use the 2025 congressional map.
Timing proved critical.
According to the Supreme Court, ballots based on Missouri’s 2022 congressional districts had already been printed and mailed, while absentee, military and overseas voting was already underway.
Changing maps at that point, the justices wrote, “would usher in electoral chaos.”
The court consequently directed lower courts not to prohibit Missouri from using the 2022 map or require the state to implement the 2025 map for the 2026 congressional election.
The dispute traces back to Missouri Republicans’ decision to enact a new congressional map, known as House Bill 1, during a special legislative session.
Governor Mike Kehoe signed the measure on September 28, 2025.
The map significantly reconfigured congressional districts, including the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. The redraw was intended to create another Republican-leaning congressional district in a state where Republicans currently control six of eight U.S. House seats.
But opponents quickly launched an effort to stop it.
People Not Politicians gathered signatures seeking a statewide referendum on the new map, relying on a provision of the Missouri Constitution that allows voters to review certain acts passed by the legislature.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins declined to certify the petition, and the state’s August 4 primary elections proceeded using the 2025 congressional boundaries.
Then came another major reversal.
On September 3, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the referendum petition was legal, sufficient and timely.
That decision meant House Bill 1 had never taken effect and would remain suspended unless Missouri voters ultimately approved it.
What followed was an extraordinary series of conflicting court decisions.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh initially denied an emergency request seeking to block the Missouri Supreme Court ruling.
Minutes later, however, a federal district judge issued an order requiring Missouri to use the 2025 congressional map.
The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently stayed that order.
A federal appeals court then entered the fight, concluding that conducting the primary and general elections under different congressional maps would violate the Constitution. The appeals court directed Missouri to return to the 2025 map.
Once again, the Supreme Court intervened and blocked the ruling.
The result is now clear for November.
Missouri will conduct its November 3 general election using the state’s 2022 congressional districts, despite having conducted its August primary under the newer boundaries.
At the same time, Missouri voters will decide the referendum determining whether the 2025 congressional map should be approved for future use.
Governor Kehoe has said Missouri will comply with the Supreme Court’s order, bringing the immediate legal fight over which map will govern the upcoming general election to a close.
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