Hialeah Councilwoman Angelica Pacheco surrendered to the FBI on Thursday morning as she faces healthcare fraud charges.

The FBI confirmed to the Miami Herald that Pacheco is in federal custody and was scheduled to make her first appearance Thursday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren F. Louis in Miami federal court.

The councilwoman was elected in November 2023 after running four times for a seat on the council.

Pacheco, 37, a certified nurse, and her husband Daniel Pacheco, have a primary care clinic and substance abuse rehabilitation facility called Pacheco Medical Center, located on East 49th Street in Hialeah. It is unknown if the charges are in any way linked to the couple’s business.

During the pandemic, Pacheco’s family received over $500,000 in combined federal Paycheck Protection Program loans for four of their businesses. She stated that these funds were used to pay employees and keep the businesses afloat.

These federal charges could lead to Pacheco’s removal as councilwoman in Hialeah. Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously suspended local elected officials charged with crimes. Under Hialeah’s city charter, the City Council would have the right to appoint somone to fill the empty seat.

This is not the first time she has had legal problems. In 2004, at the age of 17, she was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of battery, and one count of criminal mischief in what police described as a domestic incident. She pleaded no contest to four of the charges and received six months of probation.

Pacheco said to the Miami Herald that her stepfather at the time had locked her mom inside the house and she had an altercation with him. She says her stepfather abused her and her mother for years.

Pacheco may have hinted at her imminent arrest in a cryptic social media post.

Twenty-four hours before her arrest, Pacheco posted a video on YouTube blaming the Hialeah government for any eventual repercussions she might face.

“I want you to know that I blamed the Hialeah administration for anything that happens to me,” she said in the video. “I have been threatened both legally and verbally. They are trying to find a way to get rid of me.”

In the video, Pacheco used a clip from a council meeting of a comment Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo Jr. made about her in a heated debate regarding the city’s position on marijuana use.

“I understand that you only have four months as a council member, but perhaps the time to honor yourself will soon come to an end,” Bovo said.

Councilman Bryan Calvo, an ally of Pacheco, addressed the arrest “with profound disappointment,” according to a statement.

“While I am not aware of Ms. Pacheco’s private sector activities, these are grave allegations,”, the councilman said.

“In the months that I have worked with Ms. Pacheco, she has been a steadfast advocate for government transparency, community engagement, and lower taxes, in those aspects she has preformed honorably,” Calvo said.