A GoFundMe raised money for ‘Paco.’ Here’s what we know about that effort

A GoFundMe campaign that raised money for a man identified only as “Paco” has been removed from the fundraising website amid allegations that the man is facing murder charges in Mexico.

The co-organizer of the GoFundMe campaign, Olympia area resident Carissa Miller, told The Olympian she was unaware of the allegations against the man and said there was no attempt to defraud donors to the campaign.

The Olympian wrote about the GoFundMe campaign on July 22, saying it had raised $9,800 of a $10,000 goal to help a Thurston County resident “abducted” by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Olympian reached out to Miller at the time to ask her questions about the incident, but she did not reply.

Specific details about the incident also were not immediately available from ICE.

Days after the story was published, Western Washington conservative media personalities reported that “Paco” has been identified as Yussef Zarate-Borbon, 34. The man is accused of homicide in Mexico, according to the X account of Homeland Security Investigations Pacific Northwest.

The Olympian reached out to the Seattle HSI office directly and was referred to ICE spokesman David Yost. He could not be reached, but his out-of-office reply referred media to a second ICE media email. There also was no response from that address to a question about Zarate-Borbon.

The GoFundMe was taken down, a spokesman for the online fundraising platform said.

“We are in touch with the fundraiser organizer and are gathering additional information as part of our review,” said Jeff Platt at GoFundMe. “The organizer has also asked for the fundraiser to not be reinstated on the platform at this time.”

Who is Zarate-Borbon?

Miller described “Paco” as a friend. That was her nickname for him and she used it in the GoFundMe to both help and protect his family from further scrutiny.

Miller said she has known Zarate-Borbon for three years and believes he has lived in the area for 10.

The Olympian reached out to two area residents familiar with Zarate-Borbon, but they declined to speak about his situation.

Public information shows Zarate-Borbon has operated at least two businesses in Thurston County since 2017. The first one, a painting business in south Thurston County, was later dissolved. The Olympian visited that location on Sunday and knocked on doors in the area, but no one responded.

The second business, a mechanic’s shop, was established in the Tanglewilde area of Martin Way East in 2024. Landlord Mark Shattuck said he never had a problem with Zarate-Borbon.

“My business dealings with him were on the up and up,” he said, adding that he was shocked by the accusation against him.

He paid his rent, and when he was going to be late with rent, he called, Shattuck said. “I didn’t have any problems with him,” he said.

Over the past month — since his arrest — the lease was terminated, the space was cleaned up and utilities were paid off, Shattuck said.

Where is Zarate-Borbon?

The GoFundMe effort reported that Zarate-Borbon is being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, sometimes referred to as the Northwest Detention Center.

The Olympian checked an online detainee locator system for him, but it did not produce any results for his name.

His attorney, Maribel Martinez of Seattle, said the GoFundMe raised money to retain her services, but she would not provide details about her client. The Olympian tried to reach her again but the woman who answered the phone said she was too busy to respond.

Asked to confirm whether he was still being held in Tacoma, the woman declined to comment, saying it might be in violation of client confidentiality rules.

Fallout from the fundraiser

Meanwhile, Miller said she has been inundated with hate-filled messages, causing her to delete her social media presence.

The blowback got so bad that she turned to Western States Center, a civil rights organization based in Portland, for assistance.

“When our team checks in with people who are experiencing a deluge of hostile calls, emails and social media comments, which can sometimes include actionable threats, we always make sure to tell the person that this situation is not their fault,” said senior organizer Kate Bitz.

This story was updated Aug. 22.

This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM.