Highlights
- Mark Michael Ellis, 33, of Prescott fled during his trial and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
- Ellis staged a fake cartel kidnapping via text and FaceTime to get his employer to wire him more than $17,000.
- A jury found Ellis guilty of attempted fraud schemes, attempted theft, and possession of drug paraphernalia Thursday.
- Sentencing will be scheduled after Ellis is apprehended, the Yavapai County Attorney's Office said.
A Prescott man convicted of faking his own kidnapping to cover gambling debts fled during his trial last week and remains at large, the Yavapai County Attorney's Office announced Monday.
Mark Michael Ellis, 33, sent his employer multiple texts claiming he had been taken by a Mexican drug cartel and needed more than $17,000 wired to his account or he would be killed, prosecutors said. Ellis also made a FaceTime video call to his employer from what he described as a basement, claiming he was being held prisoner and begging for payment. Detectives later determined the location was his garage.
The employer contacted the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. Once authorities became involved, Ellis admitted to his employer that he had lost over $15,000 gambling and fabricated the kidnapping to recover the money, according to prosecutors. Detectives found Ellis at home with his girlfriend, who was unaware of the scheme. Investigators also found heroin-related drug paraphernalia at the residence, and Ellis admitted to using methamphetamine while sending the texts to his employer.
Ellis fled midway through his trial, but a jury returned guilty verdicts Thursday on charges of attempted fraud schemes, attempted theft, and possession of drug paraphernalia. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Sentencing will be scheduled after Ellis is apprehended, the Yavapai County Attorney's Office said.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 11/05/2026 19:07
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 11/05/2026 19:07. Every claim traces to a source.
