A Venezuelan man is facing serious felony charges, including terrorism, after allegedly threatening residents in Arizona with a firearm and asserting dominion over a section of a Maricopa County neighborhood, authorities have reported.

According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, 27-year-old Javier Enrique Erazo-Zuniga is accused of trying to extort money by intimidating locals with weapons, as he purportedly declared part of Maricopa his territory. This information was detailed in a report by InMaricopa and confirmed by state officials.

Bart Graves, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, informed InMaricopa that investigators initiated a probe into Erazo-Zuniga last December. They received reports that he had been asserting control over the Hidden Valley area in Maricopa and coercing residents for money.

Authorities have connected Erazo-Zuniga to several violent confrontations targeting community members at their homes. In one incident from 2024, it is alleged that he placed a victim in a headlock and threatened them with a knife, causing injury. More recently, investigators claim he confronted another individual at the end of their driveway, holding them at gunpoint.

Javier Enrique Erazo-Zuniga has been apprehended in Maricopa, Arizona, amid allegations of extortion and territorial claims over a local community area. This case has drawn attention due to its severe nature.

During a search of Erazo-Zuniga’s bedroom, detectives recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the December gunpoint incident, Graves said.

Erazo-Zuniga was booked into the Pinal County Jail, where jail records show he remains in custody on a $250,000 secured bond. He was later indicted by a Pinal County grand jury.

Court records obtained by the outlet show the grand jury charged Erazo-Zuniga with aggravated assault involving a firearm, two counts of forgery and two counts of misconduct involving weapons, including possession of handguns while prohibited. Prosecutors allege the aggravated assault charge qualifies as a dangerous felony because it involved the use or threatened exhibition of a firearm.

Javier Enrique Erazo-Zuniga is in custody at the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. (Google Maps)

DPS has also stated that Erazo-Zuniga is charged with assisting a criminal street gang and terrorism, though those allegations were outlined by the agency rather than detailed in the indictment documents released by the Pinal County Superior Court. Authorities have said additional charges could be forthcoming, potentially at the federal level.

According to a minute entry filed in superior court, Erazo-Zuniga is scheduled to be arraigned Friday.

Graves said investigators believe there may be multiple additional victims, but that some have been afraid to come forward.

“We encourage them to contact our tip line,” Graves said. DPS asked anyone with information related to the case to call 602-644-5805.

Authorities have not confirmed whether the investigation could expand beyond Maricopa.

The case comes amid heightened national law enforcement scrutiny of Venezuelan criminal groups following a series of high-profile investigations in Colorado in 2024 and 2025.

Federal prosecutors there indicted Venezuelan nationals accused of participating in organized robberies, kidnappings, extortion schemes and firearms offenses tied to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua. While some early claims of gang “takeovers” were later disputed or clarified, authorities have confirmed multiple violent cases involving coordinated criminal activity and armed suspects.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Homeland Security Investigations, the Pinal County Attorney’s Office and the FBI for additional information.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.