Joanna Mendoza Cheated Arizona Schools Out Of Tax Money While Profiting From Illegal Scheme
Far-left lobbyist Joanna Mendoza got caught cheating taxpayers out of money meant for public schools while running an unregistered rental property.
The scoop: Mendoza illegally collected tax breaks for two ‘primary residences’ simultaneously. Mendoza profited over $20,000 as a landlord during the last reported year.
“While regular Arizonans played by the rules, far-left special interest lobbyist Joanna Mendoza clearly thought she’s above the law. Lobbyist Mendoza would be just another corrupt politician enriching herself while raising taxes on hardworking Arizonans and driving up the cost of living.” – NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen
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Arizona CD6 candidate wrongfully took home tax credit | Exclusive
Arizona Republic
Laura Gersony
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.
Because Mendoza categorized both of the properties as primary residences, officials in Pima and Pinal County applied the tax break two times over when calculating how much she owed.
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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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Like most Arizona homeowners, Mendoza is eligible to receive the state aid to education tax credit, which lets the state offset taxes levied by local school districts.
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.
The error allowed her to continue collecting the tax break from the Tucson house even when she wasn’t living there, saving $404.29 in 2024 and $415.87 in 2025. Property tax bills for 2026 aren’t yet public.
Mendoza hasn’t made a secret of the rental activity. She reported making $20,000 from rental income in a financial disclosure form filed when she ran for Congress.
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