FLORENCE — A Pinal County Superior Court judge yesterday continued proceedings in the gang extortion case against a Venezuelan national accused of targeting Hidden Valley residents, a national news story that was first reported by InMaricopa.

Judge Jason Holmberg reset the case for March 23 following the Monday hearing. The proceeding is expected to serve as a trial-setting hearing. The Pinal County jail roster showed Javier Enrique Erazo-Zuniga, 27, remained in custody on a $250,000 secured bond this morning.

The latest hearing followed Erazo-Zuniga’s Jan. 23 arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty to felony charges including aggravated assault, forgery and weapons misconduct after a Jan. 9 search warrant operation at his Hidden Valley home.

Pinal County Sheriff’s Office records released to InMaricopa Feb. 12 show deputies logged an agency-assist call at 5:41 a.m. Jan. 9 at the residence near Papago and Warren Roads and assisted Arizona Department of Public Safety SWAT and GIITEM units during the operation.

DPS investigators have alleged Erazo-Zuniga threatened residents with guns and knives and attempted to extort money while claiming the rural community as his territory. Authorities have also said he claimed affiliation with the transnational gang Tren de Aragua using the name “Pig Face.”

New court filings submitted this month outline the scope of evidence and testimony prosecutors may present as the case moves toward trial.

A supplemental disclosure filed Feb. 10 indicates the state may call a digital forensics examiner and introduce investigative materials including search warrants, drone video and dozens of photographs taken by detectives.

A broader disclosure lists multiple DPS detectives and troopers, Pinal County sheriff’s deputies and civilian witnesses among potential trial witnesses, along with expert testimony from criminalists and forensic examiners. The filing also outlines categories of possible evidence ranging from crime-scene photographs and forensic analyses to identification records, statements, communications data and jail calls.

Erazo-Zuniga allegedly cut a homeowner’s throat during an unprovoked knife attack in 2024 and held another at gunpoint in a violent confrontation last year. Investigators have said additional victims likely exist but have been reluctant to come forward.

Meanwhile, defense attorneys filed an initial disclosure asserting insufficiency of evidence among potential defenses and reserving the right to call the defendant himself to the witness stand.

No federal charges have been announced yet. Authorities previously told InMaricopa that international terrorism allegations were expected.

The month-long continuance gives prosecutors additional time to determine whether any parallel federal case could proceed alongside the state prosecution, a path seen locally last year in the Katrina Woods fraud case.