Federal Prosecutors: Missing Fraud Convict Arrested in Mexico

Authorities in Mexico on Monday arrested an Oklahoma woman awaiting sentencing and her husband, five months after they went missing, according to a new filing by federal prosecutors in Oklahoma City.    

Courtney Wells, 37, went missing on May 2 after she claimed to have left for a camping trip with her husband, Brandon Landers.  

In November 2021, a jury convicted Wells, Chris Mayes, and Charles Gooch of carrying out a fraud scheme at the former car dealership Big Red Kia Sports & Imports involving millions of dollars.  

Shortly after her disappearance in May, Mayes and his defense attorneys demanded a new trial based on their discovery of emails apparently sent by Wells on May 3. The emails included a “confession to the crimes” by Wells, Mayes argued, and proved his innocence.  

Earlier this month, Mayes' request for a new trial was a topic of questioning for candidates for Oklahoma County District Attorney. Vicki Behenna, the Democratic in the race, is the lead defense attorney for Mayes.  

“There was a document expert, a document examiner that reviewed those emails, validated and verified those emails before they were presented to a court,” Behenna said in support of the motion for a new trial.  

“I don't know where Ms. Wells is, but I venture to say that she left because she told many of her cohorts that she was going to leave as a result of her sentencing,” Behenna said.  

After her arrest in Mexico, Wells told FBI agents that the emails in Mayes’ motion were “fake” and that Mayes helped them plan their flight to Mexico, according to prosecutors.  

“The plan was for Mr. Mayes to follow them,” prosecutors wrote in a filing submitted Tuesday. “As recently as last week, (Mayes) led them to believe he may have also been in Mexico at that time.”  

Mayes purchased a gun and a truck from Landers before they left for Mexico, prosecutors said. Mayes is not allowed to possess a firearm according to the court’s conditions of pre-sentence release.  

In response to the prosecution’s filing Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Stephen Friot issued an arrest warrant for Mayes. He was later booked into the Logan County Jail ahead of a Wednesday afternoon court hearing.  

A member of Mayes’ legal team told News 9 that they are aware of Well’s arrest and statements to the FBI. “I won’t have any further comment until I see the substance of the evidence, in fact it would be irresponsible for me to comment on anything until that time,” said Brett Behenna, an attorney with Behenna, Goerke, Krahl & Meyer.