Arizona Republic: Mendoza caught breaking state law to pocket extra cash
Joanna Mendoza got caught breaking state law to keep some extra cash.
The Arizona Republic reports exclusively that Mendoza illegally saves hundreds of dollars every year by claiming a property tax credit on two residences. By Arizona law, homeowners are only allowed to have one primary residence.
She was also illegally renting one of the homes and could owe thousands for failing to disclose the rental property.
“Joanna Mendoza cheats on her taxes but wants to raise yours.” – CLF Spokeswoman Lydia Hall
Read more below.
Arizona CD6 Candidate Wrongfully Took Home Tax Credit | Exclusive
By Laura Gersony
Arizona Republic
August 13, 2026
A Democratic U.S. House candidate wrongfully claimed an education-related property tax credit for years, an error that saved her about $400 annually since 2024.
JoAnna Mendoza, a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps veteran and former political consultant running in Arizona’s highly watched 6th Congressional District, acknowledged to The Arizona Republic that she did not submit the necessary paperwork after she began renting out her home in Tucson and moved to another property in Red Rock.
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The tax problem comes up at a time when Mendoza is under high scrutiny. As she faces incumbent Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in a multi-million-dollar campaign fight, her opponents have honed in on details of her personal life, highlighting pornographic and witchcraft-focused social media accounts she has followed online, her weekslong marriage to a man in Syria, and a personal history that includes a DUI arrest in 2012.
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Homeowners can claim up to a $600 benefit from the tax break, depending on the value of their property.
Mendoza has claimed the education tax credit for her home in central Tucson since she bought the $330,000 property in 2021, records show.
In 2023, she bought a second home in Red Rock for around $337,000. She began renting out the Tucson property, online listings show.
By law, Arizona homeowners are only allowed to have one primary residence. But Mendoza categorized both properties that way when she bought them.
Real the full article.