USA v. Galanti

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WO
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA
United States of America,
Plaintiff,
v.
Guy Galanti,
Defendant.
No. CR-25-01391-001-PHX-GMS
ORDER
Pending before this Court is Defendant Guy Galanti’s Detention Appeal (Doc. 33).
This Court considers the appeal de novo. United States v. Koening, 912 F.2d 1190, 1191
(9th Cir.. 1990). After having conducted that de novo review, THE COURT AFFIRMS the
detention decision of the magistrate judge that the Defendant presents a serious risk of
flight that cannot be cured by any condition or combination of conditions that will
reasonably assure the appearance of the Defendant. He therefore remains detained.
BACKGROUND
Guy Galanti is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Trade Secrets in
violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1832(a)(5), a felony that carries a ten-year maximum sentence.
He is a citizen of Israel who was working in the United States on a visa sponsored by his
employer. He lost this status when he was terminated by his employer on August 26, 2025,
who the next day ceased its sponsorship of his visa. A week after the termination of his
employment, on September 2, he nevertheless paid the next month’s rent for his Scottsdale
Case 2:25-cr-01391-GMS Document 45 Filed 11/05/25 Page 1 of 4

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home without any notice to the landlord that he was seeking to terminate his lease. The
next day, on September 3, the FBI conducted a search warrant at his home. On September
8, he was observed by the FBI attempting to return food purchased from Costco. The next
day, September 9, his wife and five children moved back to Israel. He acknowledges that
his entire family now resides in Israel. On September 10, he sold his car and left a large
amount of trash and furniture items on the curb outside his home for a bulk trash pickup.
On that same date he purchased a flight to Israel which was scheduled to leave on
September 12 but also included a return flight. He was arrested at his home on September
11. At that time a moving company was packing his property as he had arranged for its
international shipment to Ashdod, Israel. He instructed the movers, however, to instruct
anyone who asked that he was moving to Texas. And he falsely claimed to his landlord
that he had obtained employment in Texas which would require his frequent return to
Arizona. Defendant reported significant assets: $7,000 in cash in his possession, $130,000
in a United States bank account, $100,000 in an Israeli bank account, and real estate in
Israel valued at a million dollars.
At his detention hearing, Yakov Jacob Donal, the Defendant’s mother’s cousin who
has lived in Long Island, New York for 25 years testified to the Defendant’s character. Mr.
Donal related that he had had contact with the Defendant over the phone and at holidays.
He believes the Defendant would follow the Court’s orders. The Court also heard from
Rabbi Mordechai Ben-Shabat. He testified that the Defendant has been a member of his
synagogue for the past two years. The Defendant is a prayer leader in Rabbi Ben-Shabat’s
congregation and meets with some members of the congregation daily to pray. Rabbi Ben-
Shabat believes that he or members of his congregation would take care of the Defendant
if he was released, and Rabbi Ben-Shabat is willing to serve as a third-party custodian of
the Defendant in that case. Another member of the synagogue similarly testified that the
Defendant was like family and that she believed that members of the synagogue would be
willing to provide lodging and board during the term of his release. The Government
acknowledges that it is in possession of the Defendant’s passport. Israeli counsel in
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Phoenix has assured Defense counsel that Israel will not replace Mr. Galanti’s passport
until after the termination of his current criminal case. There is an extradition treaty with
Israel.
ANALYSIS
The defendant, in light of his behavior, presents a “serious risk” that he will flee if
not detained. United States v. Gentry, 455 F. Supp. 2d 1018, 1019-20 (D. Ariz. 2006).
Prior to the search of his home by the FBI there was no indication that the Defendant was
preparing to leave the County. His actions are not those of a person returning his family
to Israel on the loss of his job. The payment of his full monthly rent, without providing the
landlord any notice of lease termination, after the loss of his job, but before the search,
indicates that the search, and not the loss of a job, presented him with his reason for the
hastened attempt at departure during which he provided inaccurate information as to his
destination.
Nor, in light of his demonstrated desire to leave the county, will any condition or
combination of conditions reasonably assure the appearance of the Defendant. While the
Defendant is fortunate to have members of his congregation who are willing to stand up
for him, he has no family in Arizona, he has canceled his lease, sold his vehicle, and he has
lost any employment that provides him with an income. The charges against the Defendant
are serious and present the possibility of up to ten years of incarceration providing him
with serious incentive to leave for which he might gladly surrender a cash bond that he has
the practical ability to post, or that others on his behalf do. And, while the least important
factor for consideration, the weight of the evidence against him resulting from the home
search is considerable. 18 U.S.C. § 3142(f). He has significant financial resources
available in Israel, and apparently some in a United States Bank, and while his return to
Israel might be difficult, his ability to go to a third country would not be difficult, and his
resources would give him some considerable options to avoid process here. For the above
reasons, the detention of the Defendant as a serious risk of flight whose appearance cannot
be reasonably assured by a condition or combination of conditions is sustained.
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IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that magistrate judge’s decision and Order of
Detention (Doc. 16) are AFFIRMED.
Dated this 5th day of November, 2025.
Case 2:25-cr-01391-GMS Document 45 Filed 11/05/25 Page 4 of 4