Woman wanted in New Jersey on felony charges

After a five-month-long effort by Yavapai County law enforcement to locate and arrest Laura Marcos, a 47-year-old Sedona resident wanted on three extraditable felony warrants out of New Jersey, Sedona police, located and arrested Marcos on May 20 in the parking lot of the Sedona Community Food Bank, according to police reports released last week.

Officers Stephen Willadsen, John Klafin, Andrew Marshall and Michael Lucas and Sgt. Jesus Perron were the responding officers. Police noted that Sedona Red Rock News reporting had aided in Marcos’ arrest.

Marcos was wanted in New Jersey for alleged fraudulent filing against public servant in April 2024. On the warrant, Marcos was first arrested by Sedona police in May 2025 and charged in Arizona with three counts of forgery and driving on a suspended license.

She failed to appear for a later court date, and a statewide felony warrant was issued. By the time of her arrest on May 20, Marcos was also wanted on three active, extraditable warrants out of Yavapai County, in addition to the New Jersey warrant.

Sovereign Citizen Defense

Marcos reportedly went to court to try to stop her arrest and extradition. On Aug. 1, 2025, she sued the Yavapai County Superior Court — seeking a writ of habeas corpus, an order blocking the Arizona Attorney General and New Jersey’s registrar from acting against her — and asked the court for dismissal of her extradition hearings.

Judge Michael Liburdi rejected the filings on Oct. 15, writing that Marcos “makes various contentions consistent with sovereign citizen ideology,” which courts have long treated as meritless. He cited federal rulings dismissing similar arguments as “patently frivolous” and having “no conceivable validity in American law,” and quoted a South Carolina federal court’s observation that a petitioner “cannot claim to be a sovereign independent of governmental authority while simultaneously asking the judicial system to grant [her] recourse.”

Marcos filed a petition with the Arizona Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus and prohibition on Jan. 9, then asked to represent herself pro se on Jan. 21. The court granted that request but summarily dismissed her writ petition on March 6.

‘Catch 22’ Fugitive

With Marcos still at large, Yavapai County law enforcement turned to the public through Yavapai Silent Witness’s Catch-22 fugitive program, which releases information and photos of 22 wanted fugitives every January.

The NEWS published the press release on Jan. 7 in print and online, noting that a $1,000 reward was available through Silent Witness for information leading to her arrest, describing Marcos and reporting her last known address as a home on Grounds Drive in West Sedona.

Willadsen repeatedly called Marcos and left voicemails to tell her to turn herself in. He also notified known associates that they could face prosecution under state law if they were found to be assisting Marcos avoid prosecution.

According to Willadsen, Marcos “made social media posts that referenced” police’s outreach to her associates, reportedly a sign she knew police were looking for her.

On Jan. 17, Willadsen conducted a traffic stop of a known associate of Marcos after he left a Sedona residence and “later admitted Marcos had been” there. Willadsen told the driver to ask her to turn herself in and to notify her she had felony warrants.

On Jan. 20, “Marcos sent communication to Chief [Stephanie] Foley that confirmed she was aware of the warrant, that Yavapai County had issued a notice about her warrants that was posted in the [Sedona] Red Rock News, and that she was fearful for her life,” Willadsen wrote.

House Changes Hands Twice

Records show Marcos also tried to shield her property from the law. On April 1, she transferred her house at 35 Grounds Drive to a entity called “Aurum Infinitum Express Trust” via quit claim deed. The trust’s paperwork describes itself as a “copyright company” claiming to be the “owner and secured party” for the name “Laura Marcos” as an “ens legis” — treating her legal name as a separate entity from her as a living person. The filing also referenced a “non-UCC lien” registered with New Jersey and language around “copyright/copyclaim.”

The maneuver reflects “strawman theory,” a sovereign-citizen-adjacent belief that a fictional corporate version of a person, often written in all-capital letters, is created at birth and can be separately owned through private filings, including copyright, which allegedly claims that government agencies owe copyright fees for using that person’s name. Judges and legal experts have consistently rejected these theories as having no basis in law.

Neither “Aurum Infinitum Express Trust” nor a second entity — “Peace Mountain Revocable Trust,” to which Marcos quitclaimed the same property under her name on May 14, appears in Arizona Corporation Commission records.

Willadsen’s report notes the AirBnB listing for the Grounds Drive house had been changed to the trust as owner, but he reportedly found an Airbnb website with links to her as its host and reviews that specifically mentioned her by name. He added that “a wooden lattice privacy screen had been installed in front of the carport with a camera pointing out, which only looked at a small portion of the front yard and seemed to be aimed at the street; possibly as an early warning for police.”

Arrest

Police received tips from “anonymous concerned citizens,” reportedly prompted by the county’s public notices and the NEWS coverage, Willadsen wrote. Tipsters reported Marcos had been spotted at a Sedona grocery store, that she still hosted the AirBnB and that she had tried to alter her appearance, including by wearing a disguise. Tips in April and May indicate she visited the food bank riding in the passenger seat of a dark grey Toyota 4Runner driven by her apparent boyfriend, wearing a disguise of a dark wavy wig, a hat and sunglasses. Willadsen confirmed the 4Runner’s plate was registered to the boyfriend.

On May 20, Willadsen parked a restaurant near the food bank to watch for the vehicle. At 8:45 a.m., the 4Runner arrived and Willadsen confirmed the boyfriend was driving and that a woman matching the tipsters’ description of Marcos was in the back seat. They reportedly walked into the food bank together.

Willadsen coordinated with Klafin, Marshall and Perron. When the boyfriend returned alone to the 4Runner to load groceries and Marcos came out, the officers approached on foot.

“Marcos had a surprised, stunned look on her face,” Willadsen wrote. Police identified and arrested Marcos.

Klafin arrested the boyfriend, who had attempted to walk away quickly.

Boyfriend Released

The boyfriend reportedly told officers he knew Marcos by her real name and was aware she had “some trouble recently” and a lawyer, but said he didn’t know specifics about her felony warrants. He reportedly said he’d been driving her because she didn’t have a car and he didn’t think she could legally drive.

Police released the boyfriend at the scene, with a charging request to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office recommending for hindering prosecution, but as of press time, he has not been charged.

Marcos was transported to the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde.

According to police, she reportedly “talked at length about her warrant and how things had escalated,” telling officers she hadn’t been aware she had warrants. As of July 20, she is still listed as an inmate at the Yavapai County jail on the Arizona charges and awaiting extradition to New Jersey.