Former Mexican Television Host Inés Gómez Mont Arrested in Florida

Former Mexican television host Inés Gómez Mont was arrested on Friday, October 30, 2026, in Miami, Florida, following nearly five years as a fugitive from Mexican authorities. The Attorney General's Office of Mexico, known as the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), officially confirmed the arrest, noting that the detention resulted from information-sharing between the governments of Mexico and the United States.

Gómez Mont faces an active arrest warrant in Mexico for her alleged involvement in equivalent tax fraud. The legal proceedings against the former presenter and her husband, businessman Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga, began in September 2021 when Mexican authorities accused them of participating in a corruption network tied to federal government contracts.

According to investigations conducted by the FGR and the Financial Intelligence Unit, the couple was allegedly linked to a scheme involving the embezzlement of public funds. The inquiries centered on approximately 2.950 billion pesos related to security and surveillance contracts awarded for federal penitentiary centers during the administration of former President Enrique Peña Nieto. Investigators stated that several companies simulated operations and issued invoices for services that were never rendered, moving funds through multiple bank accounts to hide their origin and destination.

Throughout the five years she spent outside Mexico, Gómez Mont maintained her innocence through social media messages and public statements, denying all allegations of receiving money from public contracts or belonging to organized crime. Legal documents from the case attributed deposits totaling 14,843,816 pesos to the television host from two companies connected to the investigation.

The arrest occurs shortly after recent developments involving international search warrants. In late September 2026, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that Interpol had withdrawn the red notices previously issued for Gómez Mont and her husband. Despite the cancellation of the international alerts, Mexican authorities emphasized that active arrest warrants remained in effect within the country.

Her husband, Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga, was previously detained by United States immigration authorities in September 2025 in Miami, Florida. He subsequently remained under the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement before securing provisional release on bond while awaiting an immigration hearing.

As of Friday afternoon, official sources had not provided comprehensive details regarding the specific legal procedures for a potential extradition or the timeline for transferring Gómez Mont to Mexican jurisdiction. The FGR stated that additional information regarding the case will be released as the legal process continues to unfold.