Attorney General Kris Mayes’ Announces Indicted Fugitive Returned to Cochise County to Face Charges

COCHISE COUNTY — Today, Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that Brent Thomas Kusama, also known as Brent Thomas Tadasi Kusama, has returned to Cochise County to face charges. 

Kusama was originally indicted by a State Grand Jury in April of 2023 for criminal charges of Fraudulent Schemes and Practices, Presentment of a False Instrument for Filing, and Signing of Petitions Violations. He was indicted for nine felony counts, and two misdemeanor counts. 

The grand jury alleged that from July 2021 until April 2022, Kusama used nomination petitions containing falsified signatures to qualify to run for Constable for precinct #5 in Cochise County. The indictment also alleges that on March 28, 2022, Kusama completed verifications on the back of eight petitions knowing that the petitions contained false or forged information about the electors on the front.

The Defendant was recently returned from Hawaii after he failed to respond to a summons to appear. Kusama had an initial appearance today (1/28/2026) in Cochise County and release conditions were set. The court imposed a $10,000 bond, and gave the Defendant permission to reside with his family in California pending trial. The Defendant must also surrender his expired passport to his attorney prior to arraignment and was ordered not to obtain a new one.

Kusama is due back in Court on Monday, February 2, 2026, at 1:30pm for an arraignment hearing before Cochise County Superior Court Judge Joel Larson.

This investigation was conducted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Special Investigations Section. Assistant Attorney General Todd Lawson is prosecuting this case. 

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

A copy of the indictment is here. A copy of his photo is here.