Who is Mike Abatti? California farm baron’s home raided a month after estranged wife Kerri Abatti found dead

Businessman Mike Abatti’s properties in El Centro, Imperial County, were raided by multiple detectives on Tuesday, Navajo County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) announced. 

The authorities executed the search warrants in connection with the fatal shooting of a 59-year-old female in Pinetop, Arizona. The deceased was Mike Abatti’s wife, Kerri, who was in the process of divorcing him. NCSO did not reveal much about the findings, while the detectives are still investigating the homicide. 

Mike Abatti is a landowner and farm mogul from Southern California’s Imperial Valley. He runs his namesake company that engages in crop farming in El Centro. According to The Desert Sun, Abatti’s family has century-old SoCal roots. His ancestors helped settle the Imperial Valley over 100 years ago. 

The Desert Sun reported in 2018 that the Southern Californian farm baron owned thousands of acres of land and had a net worth of $10 million. The outlet also highlighted that Mike Abatti formerly served on the board of directors of Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and has built a secondary career in the energy sector.

According to The Desert Sun, the influential Imperial Valley farmer reportedly won “tens of millions of dollars” in publicly funded energy contracts from IID, including a $35 million battery contract. 

Mike Abatti’s estranged wife was fatally shot in November in Arizona

In a media release on Nov. 21, the Navajo County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a homicide investigation was underway in connection with the death of a woman in Pinetop. The NCSO reported that deputies arrived at the scene around 9:20 p.m. Nov. 20 and discovered the victim with gunshot wounds. 

The authorities served search warrants on Mike Abatti’s properties on Tuesday. NCSO said that the raided locations were “associated with the Abatti family and their business operations.” The press release confirmed: 

“Detectives also served search warrants at the residence of Michael Abatti, located in the 1200 block of Aurora Drive in El Centro, as well as on two camp trailers and two vehicles belonging to the Abatti family.” 

NCSO did not name Mike Abatti or anyone as a suspect, but assured that it would provide more updates soon. 

The Imperial Valley farm magnate was married to his estranged spouse for over three decades, according to the Arizona Republic. Kerri Ann Abatti reportedly filed for divorce in 2023 in Imperial County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. 

According to The Arizona Republic, the 59-year-old mentioned in her divorce filing that she and her husband would “travel the world, eat out wherever we pleased, pay for education and vehicles for our children (we still do) and live with very little debt.” 

Kerri Abatti was awarded $6,400/month spousal support, while she reportedly expected to seek $30,000 per month, the Los Angeles Times reported.