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A convicted felon accused of running a fraudulent health scheme was also allegedly manufacturing illegal weapons with the help of a local pastor � arming for a potential civil war.

One of the defendants in the ongoing fraud and conspiracy case is also believed to have been involved in an illegal weapons manufacturing operation in Lake Havasu City. And according to federal court documents this month, a local pastor aided him in that operation.

That scheme was allegedly uncovered in 2022 by undercover federal investigators in the case, as FBI agents allegedly spoke with defendants Fred Blakley, 60, and Mary Blakley, 75, in recorded conversations.

According to U.S. prosecutors in Pennsylvania’s Eastern District, investigation into the defendants� potentially fraudulent businesses in multiple states ultimately led federal agents to discover that Fred Blakley worked with his family’s pastor in Havasu (who was not named in U.S. Court documents as of Tuesday) to manufacture firearms on the pastor’s property, and distribute those weapons statewide. Neither U.S. Court documents nor federal authorities have identified that pastor as of Tuesday evening.

“Undercover operations established that Fred Blakley maintained a workshop in a garage on his pastor’s property in which he collected, built and modified firearms,� said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero, in a Feb. 5 motion to stay release conditions for the defendants. “A search of this facility resulted in the recovery of about 30 firearms and 30,000 rounds of ammunition.�

Feds: FBI investigation revealed fraud, illegal weapons manufacture

Prosecutors say that Fred Blakley’s alleged weapons stockpile included an AR-15 rifle with full-auto modifications, as well as a semi-automatic shotgun. In a conversation recorded May 17, 2023, Mary Blakley allegedly described the weapons manufacturing operation to undercover FBI agents.

�(Fred Blakley) and the pastor have been making guns,� Mary Blakley was quoted in Romero’s argument against possible release for the defendants. “Thousands of guns. We’re arming Arizona � They’ve got a big garage. (Fred) and the pastor are making guns for the world…They’re arming America.�

Fred and Mary Blakley were both previously convicted in Nevada’s U.S. District Court in 1997 on charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine. Both have been prohibited from possessing firearms for more than 25 years, according to court documents.

Romero says the defendants also told undercover investigators why they secured their collection of weapons and ammunition on their pastor’s property in the first place.

“The Blakleys told (undercover agents) that Mary Blakley’s son, who was then on parole from a rape conviction, was moving into their home,� Romero said. “They were worried about keeping any weapons at the house because the son’s parole officer could search the house at any time as part of the conditions of the son’s parole � they told (agents) that the firearms had been moved to a garage located on their pastor’s property.�

In recorded conversations, Romero says that Fred Blakley detailed “extensive, successful efforts� to straw-purchase firearms through others, acquire firearms through undocumented personal exchanges, and to build firearms himself. Examination of Blakley’s email account by federal investigators also reportedly showed hundreds of pieces of correspondence with firearms dealers and sellers, as well as deliveries of firearms by mail and carrier.

According to Romero, Fred Blakley told undercover investigators that he was arming himself and others for a possible conflict with the U.S. Government.

“We’re gonna have to go to war with our own government,� Fred Blakley allegedly told investigators, in a conversation recorded Aug. 11, 2022. “A civil war � we know that from the higher ups. They’re trying to start a civil war � you better arm up good. I’ve got thousands of rounds of ammunition and I’m ready to rock � as a matter of fact, I’m planning on shooting some humans � when this crap starts.�

The identity of the pastor allegedly involved in Fred Blakley’s possible weapons manufacturing operation was not disclosed in court documents as of this week. Attempts by 365betÌåÓýÔÚÏßÊÀ½ç±­â€™s News-Herald to learn that pastor’s identity from officials in Phoenix were unsuccessful as of Tuesday; as were attempts to gain information from officials in the U.S. circuit’s Eastern Pennsylvania and Arizona districts.

Documents detail fraud investigation against Fred, Mary Blakley

As of this week, Fred and Mary Blakley have yet to be charged with federal weapons violations. But in the defendants� ongoing case on accusations of fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy, Romero says the federal government’s case may be substantial.

Through multiple business operations throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah, federal officials say Mary and Fred Blakley advertised the use of sonic imaging (with the use of “smart chip� technology purportedly invented by Mary Blakley) to diagnose and possibly treat a variety of ailments including kidney stones, cancer and respiratory disorders. The defendants also allegedly prescribed holistic remedies and even veterinary medication to their patients under false labeling.

Mary Blakley reportedly operated under a host of aliases in the alleged scheme, including surnames such as Blakeley, Bankley, Cammer, Davis, Petry, Shjolom and Venable. She was also known to use alternate first names including Marye, Marye Yvonnea, Rosemary, Rose Mary, Rose and Yvonne.

Frad and Mary Blakley’s businesses included Sonic Waves Research, Living Well Ministry, the Living Well Health Club, Living Well Warriors, the Blakley Foundation, Health Screenings 4 Life, Health Scans 4 Life, Health Screening 4 Life, Health Screens 4 Life; and the London Bridge Wellness Center.

“The defendants operated a series of clinics throughout the United States, through which they claimed to diagnose and treat a variety of human illnesses and ailments,� Romero said in her Feb. 5 motion to stay release conditions in the case. “Both sets of claims were medically and factually false. Many of the diseases the defendants purported to diagnose were not detectable using the equipment the defendants employed � none of the treatments offered by the defendants were at all effective in treating or curing the purported conditions diagnosed.�

Those prescribed treatments included ProArgi9+ (an amino acid dietary supplement), Fenbendazole (a veterinary medicine used to treat heartworms and other parasites in animals) and Aetheion (a beauty cream containing zinc, copper, shea butter and citric acid). According to the federal indictment against Fred and Mary Blakley, those treatments were all prescribed under false labeling, in an attempt to circumvent regulations under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“The defendants extracted millions of dollars from clients by means of their false claims,� Romero said. “Many clients were falsely told they were suffering from serious diseases that could only be remedied through continuing treatments and medications sold to them by the defendants.�

And according to Romero, defendants suffering from conditions such as cancer -- who could have benefited from actual medical care - were ultimately robbed of their health or longevity.

The FBI began its undercover operations at Blakley’s businesses starting in 2021. Multiple undercover agents reportedly posed as customers, cancer patients, a relative of a cancer patient; and one agent who posed as a potential business associate in the defendants� endeavors.

“As a result of these operations, the government has collected a mass of evidence against the defendants, including dozens of hours of recorded in-person and telephone conversations; along with emails, text messages, documents and equipments,� Romero said. “On top of this, searches conducted at the time of the defendants� arrests, and voluntary admissions made by the defendants to federal agents, have further solidified the already overwhelming case against them.�

Prosecutors: No guarantee defendants would appear at trial

According to U.S. Court documents, Mary and Fred Blakley faced previous federal charges in 1997, when both were indicted in the court’s Nevada district on counts of conspiracy to possess and manufacture methamphetamine. Both were released from custody prior to trial in that case, with both attempting to flee from the court’s supervision. Court records show that both were later found and arrested in Minnesota; with each later sentenced to about five years in prison for the offense.

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors indicated the likelihood that both defendants may attempt to flee again if released from custody, given the possible sentence they face if their January indictment leads to a conviction.

“The defendants face a maximum possible sentence on the current charges of 165 years of imprisonment,� U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said in a Feb. 5 motion to stay the defendants� possible release from federal custody. �...Mary Blakley is 75 years old, while Fred Blakley is 60. If convicted of these charges, they face the very real possibility of spending the rest of their lives in federal prison. Such exposure creates a powerful incentive to flee.�

Also according to Romero, the defendants� release from custody may pose a risk to public safety. In Romero’s motion, she detailed an “unusual� measure of resourcefulness in obtaining an alleged stockpile of dozens of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, despite his prior felony conviction.

A hearing is scheduled to take place Thursday in Eastern Pennsylvania U.S. District Court, to determine whether the defendants should be allowed the possibility of release from federal custody prior to their trial.