Eastern District of California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Robert Frenchie McGriff, 44, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 10 years in prison for attempted transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from March through June 2019, McGriff began communicating with an individual he believed to be a minor female on Instagram. McGriff told the individual that he was a pimp and actively recruited her to work for him in Arizona as a prostitute. In June 2019, McGriff traveled by bus from Phoenix, Arizona to Turlock, California with the intent of retrieving the minor female in Turlock and transporting her to work for him as a prostitute.  McGriff was thereafter arrested by law enforcement.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Prosecutions Unit and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys Whitnee Goins and Shea Kenny prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Quentin Nelson, 32, of Corcoran, charging him with receiving and possessing prepubescent child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 25, 2020, Nelson received and attempted to receive child pornography. Nelson also possessed numerous images and videos of prepubescent child sexual abuse materials on a phone and an SD card.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin F. Scott is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Nelson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Stephen Joseph Crittenden, 44, of Suisun City, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to two years and one month in prison for bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Crittenden was a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation correctional officer at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. From 2021 through 2023, he accepted bribes from inmates, totaling more than $45,000, to smuggle cellphones into the California Medical Facility.

“Crittenden abused the trust placed in correctional officers by repeatedly taking bribes to smuggle contraband into a prison,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of his abuse of trust and should deter other correctional officers from engaging in the same conduct.”

“The FBI has no tolerance for corruption by public employees – especially law enforcement officers – who are entrusted to uphold the law and serve the public. No person is above the law,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “This case exemplifies the strong partnership between the FBI and CDCR. The FBI works tirelessly to ensure corrupt public officials are held accountable to preserve the public’s trust in and integrity of these vital positions.”

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Eric Pree, 55, of San Francisco, charging him with escape from custody, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 2012, Pree was convicted on federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. He was sentenced to 101 months and transferred to serve his sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary Atwater. On Jan. 29, 2017, Pree was discovered missing from the facility. Pree did not have permission to leave the Atwater facility and remained at large until his arrest.

In October 2024, investigators arrested Pree in Walnut Creek. At the time of his arrest, Pree had several cellphones, ID cards, debit and credit cards in different peoples’ names, as well as multiple driver’s licenses and a fake Harvard University Student ID. He is back in federal custody serving the remainder of his original sentence while also facing his new indictment for the escape.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service's San Francisco Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Pree faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Today, after a one-day bench trial, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn K. Delaney found Shirley L. Osgood, 76, of Grass Valley, guilty of two-counts of unauthorized entry onto a military installation and sentenced her to five days in jail, 100 hours of community service, and a one-year term of probation, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to evidence presented at trial, Osgood was arrested on Oct. 19, 2023, and again on March 14, 2024, after entering onto Beale Air Force Base without lawful authority. On both dates, Osgood was specifically advised that she was trespassing on the base, but she ignored law enforcement commands to stay off base property. Osgood testified at trial and admitted that she knew that she was trespassing and that she was not authorized to enter onto the base. Osgood said that she was protesting and trespassed because she wanted to speak to the base commander.

Osgood has previously been arrested and convicted for trespassing on Beale Air Force Base. In 2013, Osgood was convicted in federal court for trespassing at the base, and she was barred from entering.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Air Force Security Forces. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — The United States has entered a consent decree with Dale Lake of Hanford to resolve a lawsuit brought by the United States pursuant to the Anti-Fraud Injunction Statute, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleged that Lake was a “money mule” who was facilitating a mail and wire fraud scheme that primarily victimized senior citizens. According to the complaint, Lake received funds or gift cards obtained via fraud, then transmitted those funds to accomplices in Jamaica. Other participants in the fraud scheme contacted potential victims; falsely claimed that those victims had won a lottery, sweepstakes, or prize; and induced victims to transmit money to Lake, supposedly in order to receive the falsely promised winnings.

The consent decree announced today, approved by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston, permanently prohibits Lake from assisting, facilitating, or participating in any prize promotion fraud or any money transmitting business. The decree also authorizes the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) to monitor Lake’s incoming mail for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the decree.

“Money mules facilitate fraud against vulnerable populations,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will hold accountable anyone who engages in schemes to defraud the public. Our office is committed to educating the public about how fraudsters use money mules to receive and transfer money to third parties.”

“Postal Inspectors will continue to use all the tools of law enforcement, including civil remedies, to protect the public from fraud schemes employing money mules,” said Inspector in Charge Stephen M. Sherwood of the USPIS San Francisco Division.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the USPIS. It is part of a larger effort by the Justice Department, USPIS, FBI, and other federal law enforcement agencies to identify, disrupt, and prosecute networks of individuals who transmit funds from fraud victims to international fraudsters. Such fraudsters rely on money mules to facilitate a range of fraud schemes, including those that predominantly impact older Americans, such as lottery fraud, romance scams, and grandparent scams, as well as those that target businesses or government pandemic funds. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Fuentes handled this case for the United States.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jamar Deontae Barnes, 42, of Stockton, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine-laced pills, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between September 2015 and May 2019, Barnes conspired with his twin brother, Jamaine Dontae Barnes, and others, to make and sell thousands of drug-laced pills. Barnes and his co-conspirators made the pills using pill presses, which are machines that compress powders into pills of various shapes and sizes. They made pills that appeared to be legitimate prescription pills but in fact, contained fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, heroin, and other synthetic opioids. They also made pills that appeared to be traditional Ecstasy pills but in fact contained methamphetamine. On May 16, 2019, law enforcement searched Jamar Barnes’ Stockton residence and seized a pill press machine as well as powders and pills containing methamphetamine and furanyl fentanyl.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Highway Patrol, the San Joaquin METRO Narcotics Task Force, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT) Task Force, the Stockton Police Department, the Sacramento County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David W. Spencer and Emily G. Sauvageau are prosecuting the case.

Nine other defendants have pleaded guilty:

• Jamaine Dontae Barnes pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2025.
• Kavio Daeshaun Lee Wiley pleaded guilty and was sentence to 15 years in prison.
• Vincent Isaiah Patterson pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 28, 2025.
• Johnesha Denae Thompson pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2025.
• Kadrena Latrice Watts pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 17, 2025.
• Jeremy Jerome Barnett pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
• Chevele Bernard Richardson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 79 months in prison.
• Tashawn Terrell Dickerson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 46 months in prison.
• Lamont Montez Thibodeaux pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2025.

Jamar Barnes is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on March 3, 2025. Barnes faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A four-count indictment was unsealed today, charging William Carl Jackson, 36, of Sacramento, with two counts each of armed robbery of a postal carrier and possession of mail keys, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Jackson robbed postal carriers on July 11 and 31, 2024. During in each robbery, he brandished a pistol at the victim and then ordered the victim to turn over his postal keys. After taking the victim’s keys, he then fled from the scene on a bicycle.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot C. Wong is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Jackson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison for each robbery count and 10 years in prison for each count of possession of a mail key. Each count also carries a maximum statutory fine of $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

FRESNO, Calif. — Gabriel Ruiz De Chavez, 47, of Fresno, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to two years and nine months in prison for a multiyear embezzlement scheme and ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

In July 2024, Ruiz De Chavez pleaded guilty to wire fraud. According to court documents, from 2004 to 2020, Ruiz De Chavez worked as an operations manager for a Fresno-based trucking company. Between 2012 and 2019, Ruiz De Chavez used his position to generate fake invoices, purportedly created by genuine vendors for goods and services. He presented these fake invoices and corresponding checks made out to the real vendors with his employer’s signature. He would then deposit the checks into his own personal bank account.

Once in his personal bank account, Ruiz De Chavez used the funds to pay for personal expenses including credit card payments, cash withdrawals, mortgage payments, vacations, and car loans. He was able to continue the scheme without notice because of the trusted position he held at the company. Ruiz De Chavez created more than 600 fake invoices and checks, causing $1,561,000 to be transferred into his account from his employer.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — Ifeanyi Vincent Ntukogu, 49, of Fresno, was sentenced today to seven years and three months in prison for illegally distributing oxycodone and hydrocodone, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Ntukogu was a pharmacist in Madera who dispensed more than 450,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills based on fraudulent prescriptions, all in exchange for cash.

“This defendant displayed a blatant disregard for public safety and the law,” U.S. Attorney Talbert said. “It took the effort of agents, investigators, undercover officers, and medical professionals to bring an end to this illicit prescription-writing racket. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue our pursuit of those who fuel the opioid epidemic for their own personal benefit.”

“As a licensed pharmacist, Mr. Ntukogu was trusted to dispense medications safely, supporting positive health outcomes. He intentionally exploited his trusted role, dispensing hundreds of thousands of fraudulently prescribed oxycodone and hydrocodone pills, knowing his greed-fueled actions would put opioids in the hands of drug dealers and could cause grave harm to the public. Working closely with our state and federal law enforcement partners, we dismantled this operation and held those who chose profit over public safety accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel, who leads the FBI Sacramento field office.

“Ntukogo thought he could outsmart the system by rejecting red flag prescriptions all while conducting drug deals on the side for cash. His illicit scheme led to the distribution of nearly half a million highly addictive opioids in Tennessee, Texas and beyond; fueling the fire of prescription drug misuse and endangering American lives,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris. “This lengthy sentence underscores the serious consequences for medical practitioners who place profits above people. DEA will continue to work with our counterparts to investigate, arrest and prosecute individuals who abuse their positions and threaten public safety.”

According to court records, from December 2014 through November 2018, Ntukogu dispensed more than 450,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills based on fraudulent prescriptions delivered to him by his co-conspirators and co-defendants in the case, Kelo White and Donald Pierre. The prescriptions were from more than 10 different physicians whose signatures were forged.

Ntukogu reviewed each prescription and rejected the ones that he believed regulators may deem suspicious. For example, he rejected prescriptions that were supposedly written by certain doctors or that were written for individuals who were having prescriptions filled at other pharmacies because he believed those prescriptions may raise red flags.

Ntukogu dispensed the pills through his New Life Pharmacy in Madera. Upon doing so, he required cash payments from White and Pierre and increased the price that he charged over time. White and Pierre then illegally sold the pills in Tennessee, Texas, and elsewhere.

Ntukogu received hundreds of thousands of dollars for his participation in the scheme. His sentence was also enhanced because he used his special skills as a pharmacist to help commit the crime.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the California Department of Health Care Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Pataca and Joseph Barton prosecuted the case.

The case was investigated under the DOJ’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was also part of the DOJ’s Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), which is a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.

White is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24, 2025. He faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Pierre, the remaining defendant in the case, was previously convicted and sentenced to nine years and four months in prison.

FRESNO, Calif. — Benjamin Martin, 46, of Madera, was sentenced today to three years and two months in prison today for illegally possessing several firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.

Martin was convicted of the firearms charges following a one-day trial in Fresno. According to evidence presented at the trial and other court records, in September 2021, the FBI executed a search warrant at Martin’s residence in Madera and arrested him on charges filed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for the breach of the United States Capitol that occurred on Jan. 6, 2021. During the search, the FBI found eight firearms, including an AR‑15‑style rifle, multiple high-capacity magazines for the AR-15, and more than 500 rounds of ammunition. Martin was prohibited from possessing these items because of his prior domestic violence conviction, and resulting restraining order, for choking his then girlfriend and dragging her back into the house after she tried to flee.

Shortly after his arrest, Martin was caught on a recorded jail call where he instructed his current fiancée to lie to authorities and tell them that the firearms seized from his residence belonged to her and her father and that he did not know about them. She agreed to do so. Martin received an enhancement to his sentence for this witness tampering.

Martin also recently went to trial in the Capitol breach case in Washington, D.C., where the evidence showed that he held a door to the Capitol open while officers tried to close it. He kept the door open so that other rioters could spray chemical irritants and throw objects at the officers. Martin was convicted on five counts.

This case was the product of an investigation by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton, Robert Veneman-Hughes, and Michael Tierney prosecuted the case.

Martin is scheduled to be sentenced in the Capitol breach case in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 20, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. Martin faces additional imprisonment and fines in that case. The actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The press release for Martin’s conviction in the Capitol breach case can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/california-man-convicted-felony-and-misdemeanor-charges-actions-during-jan-6-capitol. 

Aaron Iribe, 35, of Tulare, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to five years and 10 months in prison and for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on July 27, 2020, Iribe coordinated the delivery of 16 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover officer. The methamphetamine was seized from a vehicle driven by Iribe’s co-defendant, Daniel Lopez. The undercover officer arranged to purchase 20 pounds of methamphetamine for $80,000 from Iribe’s Mexico-based co-conspirator.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT). Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case.

Co-defendant Daniel Lopez pleaded guilty on Aug. 8, 2024, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 19, 2024.

This prosecution is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. The Sacramento Strike Force is a co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the Sacramento Strike Force is to identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle the most significant drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) shipping narcotics, firearms, and money through the Eastern District of California, thereby reducing the flow of these criminal resources in California and the rest of the United States. The Sacramento Strike Force leads intelligence-driven investigations targeting the leadership and support elements of these DTOs and TCOs operating within the Eastern District of California, regardless of their geographic base of operations.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gary Wayne Stuckey, 58, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to 12 years in prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in June 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of Stuckey’s vehicle and observed several pounds of marijuana inside the vehicle. A search revealed over 500 grams of methamphetamine and several items indicative of drug sales, including digital scales, plastic baggies, and hundreds of dollars of U.S. currency in small denominations. Wedged between the driver’s seat and center console of the vehicle was a Polymer 80 handgun, a privately made firearm or “ghost gun” lacking a serial number, that was loaded with a live round of ammunition in the chamber and five additional rounds in the magazine. Stuckey is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to multiple state felony convictions, including a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of ammunition.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Stockton Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alstyn Bennett and Whitnee Goins and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew De Moura prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Bruce Anthony Garcia, 43, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 19 years and seven months in prison for the attempted sexual exploitation of a minor under his care, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between Aug. 2, 2017, and Sept. 1, 2019, Garcia took hidden video recordings of the victim. He recorded the victim in various stages of undress, using the toilet or shower, or changing in a bedroom or the living room of the apartment they shared. On his devices, Garcia possessed thousands of images and videos of the victim, with the victim either partially or fully nude in several hundred of these images.

When confronted, Garcia admitted that he specifically intended to take these images and videos, that his intent in creating the images and videos was sexual, and that he generally has a sexual interest in children. Garcia described how he would wait until the victim would be getting ready for bed or to take a shower, and then place a cellphone in the bathroom or bedroom. The phone would be propped up so that it would record the minor, but would either appear to be inconspicuous, as if it were being charged, or be hidden altogether. Garcia would then connect to this device remotely using a second device such that he could watch the minor live. From the recordings thus created, Garcia would take screenshots, resulting in the images that were eventually found. Further, Garcia would sometimes manipulate these images to focus or zoom in on the victim’s genitals and pubic area. In a text message conversation with another person, Garcia offered to trade pictures of the victim in exchange for other child sexual abuse material.

In addition to the images and videos described above, Garcia was also found to possess approximately 4,266 images and 426 videos of other child sexual abuse material, including images and videos showing the sexual abuse of toddlers. Several of these videos also depicted violence against the victims, including at least one depicting the bondage and torture of a pre-pubescent female child. Garcia’s child sexual abuse collection included 110 series of known victims of child sexual abuse.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

FRESNO, Calif. – In two separate settlements, Fresno physicians have agreed to collectively pay more than $2.4 million to resolve allegations that they solicited and received unlawful kickbacks in exchange for directing prescriptions to a group of mail-order pharmacies controlled by an individual named Matthew H. Peters, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today. The United States contends that these arrangements violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.

In the first settlement, Fresno podiatrist Dr. Jagpreet Mukker and his medical corporation, Jay Mukker, DPM Inc., have agreed to pay a total of $1,598,891 to the United States to resolve allegations that they participated in the unlawful kickback arrangement causing Dr. Mukker to issue prescriptions for beneficiaries of federal health care programs (including Medicare, TRICARE, and Medi-Cal), which the United States alleges violated the False Claims Act.

As part of the settlement, Dr. Mukker acknowledged, accepted, and agreed not to dispute certain facts surrounding the kickback scheme. In particular, Dr. Mukker agreed that from 2016 through 2020, he accepted payments in connection with prescriptions he issued to a series of indistinguishable mail-order pharmacies controlled by Matthew Peters. Under this arrangement, Dr. Mukker received financial payouts, described as investment returns, in connection with investments in “management service organizations” created by Peters. Financial payouts from those investments reached multiple times the amount of capital paid into the venture, within just the first few months. After a small initial investment, Dr. Mukker received up to $117,400 per year in kickbacks, which caused Dr. Mukker to send prescriptions to Peters’ pharmacies. These payouts were described as a “reward[] for scripts” that Dr. Mukker sent to Peters’ pharmacies.

As described in the settlement agreement, Dr. Mukker acknowledged that, as the arrangement continued, he received additional opportunities to invest in Peters’ management service organizations, which resulted in greater financial payouts. Peters awarded additional investment opportunities based on the number and value of prescriptions that Dr. Mukker had directed to the pharmacies. In connection with one such opportunity, Peters made clear that Dr. Mukker’s payout would double. Peters then explained that the scheme could offer him more shares as Dr. Mukker’s prescription “performance” increased.

The arrangement included an agreed-upon exchange of payments for prescriptions, with prescriptions being a condition of investment—described by one representative such that if a clinician “doesn’t write, he can’t have shares.” Similarly, when monthly payouts were less than expected, Dr. Mukker requested to be “made whole” and that he and another investor “have held up our end of the bargain” and “prescrib[ed] a lot of the compounding to our patients.”

The first settlement agreement also resolves separate allegations that Dr. Mukker and Jay Mukker, DPM Inc. submitted false claims for peripheral venous studies that they knew were not covered by Medicare, under the guise of covered evaluation and management services. With respect to these allegations, under the settlement announced today, Dr. Mukker also acknowledged, accepted, and agreed not to dispute that he and his practice submitted claims to Medicare for peripheral venous studies between January 2017 and November 2023 that were not reimbursable, and that Dr. Mukker and his practice billed those services to Medicare using a code for a physician evaluation and management service that was not consistent with what had been furnished to the patient.

In the second settlement announced today, Fresno pain medicine specialist Amitabh Goswami, D.O., and his medical corporation, California Pain Consultants, agreed to pay $835,000 to resolve allegations that they participated in the same unlawful kickback arrangement that the United States alleges violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.

“The payment of kickbacks corrupts medical decision-making and increases the cost of health care,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “We will hold accountable those who pay or receive such kickbacks, ensuring they do not profit at the expense of American taxpayers and patients.”

“Kickback schemes jeopardize medical decision-making and undermine the integrity of the Medicare program,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We are dedicated to safeguarding taxpayer-funded health care and ensuring the well-being of the patients who depend on it.”

“The fraudulent schemes encompassed by these settlements wasted patient care resources and taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Bryan D. Denny of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office. “DCIS will continue to work with its partners to hold accountable those who seek to defraud federal health care programs, particularly as it relates to our military’s TRICARE program.”

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated investigation conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Thiess and Steve Tennyson handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The United States has also initiated a lawsuit against Peters and a number of his related pharmacies, management service organizations, and other entities, alleging violations of the False Claims Act based on the unlawful kickback scheme that formed the basis for the settlements announced today. United States v. Matthew H. Peters, et al., Case No. 2:24-cv-00287. That litigation is ongoing.

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jason Toland, 44, of Wheatland, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to two years and 11 months in prison for submitting false claims against the United States related to COVID-19 pandemic tax credits, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Toland was also ordered to pay $2,078,462 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

According to court documents, Toland attempted to obtain more than $13.4 million in COVID‑19 pandemic relief funds by filing multiple false tax returns with the IRS seeking refunds for the Employee Retention Credit and the COVID Sick and Family Leave Credit. Toland used shell companies that had no real employees and no actual business activity to seek more than $11 million in such tax refunds to which he was not entitled. In addition, between 2020 and 2023, Toland used the shell companies to fraudulently obtain a total of more than $1.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds. All these tax credits and programs were intended to alleviate the economic harm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on real businesses with real employees and operating expenses.

Of the more than $13.4 million that he sought through false tax returns and fraudulent loan applications, Toland successfully obtained more than $1.95 million. All the funds Toland received went to his own personal enrichment.

“The COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force continues to pursue pandemic fraud, including the abuse of tax credits for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that false claims targeting credits meant for real businesses suffering real consequences of the pandemic will be identified and prosecuted.”

“Mr. Toland’s fraudulent and nefarious scheming took aim at funds designated to help both small businesses and American citizens in the midst of a global pandemic,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley. “IRS-CI does not and will not sit idly by while financial criminals seek to exploit the American tax system. We are the experts in financial investigations, and we build cases that result in justice.”

This case was the product of an investigation by IRS-Criminal Investigation in collaboration with the IRS’s Nationally Coordinated Investigation Unit with assistance from the SBA Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of a California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, one of five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the U.S. Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces use prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Jose Guadalupe Lopez-Zamora, 30; Joaquin Alberto Sotelo Valdez, 27; and Jose Luis Aguilar Saucedo, 28, all of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to fentanyl trafficking and related crimes, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Lopez-Zamora was the leader of a Sacramento-based drug trafficking organization. From at least May 2019 until January 2021, the organization was responsible for importing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone “M-30” pills from Mexico and distributing them in northern California and elsewhere. The group also distributed cocaine and methamphetamine. Sotelo Valdez was fentanyl pill distributor for the organization. Aguilar Saucedo sold hundreds of fentanyl pills on each of three separate occasions in March, April, and July 2020.

Lopez-Zamora and Sotelo Valdez each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Lopez-Zamora also pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of conspiracy to launder money. Sotelo Valdez also pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Aguilar Saucedo pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl.

Eight other co-defendants have pleaded guilty, and seven have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 27 months to over 10 years. Co-defendant Alejandro Tello is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2025.

Charges are pending against the following defendants: Rosario Zamora Rojo, Luis Lopez Zamora, Leonardo Flores Beltran, Erika Gabriela Zamora Rojo, and Sandro Escobedo. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic and Gang Enforcement Task Force (NET 5), the California Highway Patrol, the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF), the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the Sacramento Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the Manteca Police Department, the Yuba City Police Department, and the West Sacramento Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Mexican authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Luis Lopez Zamora to the United States from Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case.

Lopez-Zamora, Sotelo Valdez, and Aguilar Saucedo are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on March 10, 2025. Lopez-Zamora and Sotelo Valdez face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. Aguilar Saucedo faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF. 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lupe Aime Busio-Valencia, 43, of Modesto, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to five years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Busio-Valencia and co-defendant Jose Garcia Herrera, 63, of Modesto, were arrested on July 22, 2020, while attempting to deliver 10 pounds of methamphetamine and 3 kilograms of heroin to a drug customer. The drug were concealed within a hidden compartment underneath the driver’s seat.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Modesto Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Stokman and Justin Lee prosecuted the case.

Garcia Herrera failed to appear for a prior court appearance and is currently a fugitive from justice. The pending charges against him are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Timothy Durel, 58, of Auburn, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to five years and three months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between 2012 and 2021, Durel uploaded and shared between email accounts hundreds of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This included images of prepubescent children. When law enforcement searched Durel’s home in 2021, they seized electronic devices and found hundreds of additional images of child pornography.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

FRESNO, Calif. — Eric Feldmann, 39, of Fresno, was sentenced today to eight years and one month for possessing methamphetamine and for being a felon in possession of ammunition and an MKII hand grenade, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 24, 2023, Feldmann knowingly possessed an MKII hand grenade with a M204A2 Fuze in his car. The grenade was seized by police and destroyed. Feldmann also possessed between 50 and 200 grams of methamphetamine in plastic bags. On Jan. 9, 2024, law enforcement officers seized several rounds of ammunition from Feldmann’s storage locker. Feldmann had been previously convicted a felony and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Fentanyl Overdose Resolution Team (FORT), the Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody S. Chapple and Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment Thursday against Francisco Cornejo-Quezada, 21, of Watsonville; and Shawn Eric Morales Sr., 51, and Renee Michele Hermann, 54, both of Hood, charging all three defendants with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and related offenses, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, all three defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. The indictment also charges the defendants with multiple counts of distributing methamphetamine and charges Morales and Hermann with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily G. Sauvageau is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Daniel Hooker, 35, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit money laundering, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from August 2023 through March 2024, Hooker and three co‑conspirators conducted multiple financial transactions involving funds they believed to be proceeds of cocaine trafficking. Their belief as to the nature of the funds was based on representations of an individual working at the direction of law enforcement. On two different occasions in 2023 and 2024, Hooker met the individual in a parking lot in Rancho Cordova and accepted a total of $100,000 in cash to be laundered. After those meetings in Rancho Cordova, Hooker wired funds from a bank account he controlled into a bank account designated by the individual in an effort to complete the laundering. In total, the conspirators received approximately $940,000 in purported drug trafficking proceeds. Of that amount, the conspirators laundered approximately $811,000.

This case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Thuesen and Whitnee Goins are prosecuting the case.

U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins is scheduled to sentence Hooker on Feb. 21, 2025. Hooker faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On July 11, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against John Robert Remlinger, 42, of Vallejo, charging him with sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following Remlinger’s arrest.

According to court documents, between June and August 2021, Remlinger knowingly coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and on Jan. 24, 2023, he possessed visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor, Remlinger faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison up to a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of possession of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, Remlinger faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison up to a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, plus restitution and a fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kavieo Daeshaun Lee Wiley, 28, of Stockton, was sentenced Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and U-47700 (a synthetic opioid), and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in May 2019, Wiley sold 4,000 methamphetamine-laced pills to a confidential source at a music studio in Stockton belonging to co-defendant Jamaine Dontae Barnes, 42, of Stockton. When agents executed a federal search warrant at the music studio, they encountered Wiley sitting on the floor with his left hand concealed between a sofa and filing cabinet. After giving Wiley repeated commands to display his left hand, an agent quickly approached Wiley, grabbed his left arm, and detained him. In the area where Wiley’s left hand had been concealed, agents found a loaded assault-style rifle. Throughout that room and the rest of the music studio, agents found large amounts of pills and powders laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine, materials for pressing the powders into pills, and a loaded handgun sitting on top of a large bag of methamphetamine-laced pills. Wiley possessed the assault-style rifle and handgun in furtherance of the crime of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Highway Patrol, the San Joaquin METRO Narcotics Task Force, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT) Task Force, the Stockton Police Department, the Sacramento County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S.  Attorneys David W. Spencer and Emily G. Sauvageau are prosecuting the case.

Co-defendant Jamaine Barnes and four other co-defendants await sentencing after pleading guilty, and three others have been sentenced. Charges are pending against Jamar Deontae Barnes, who is scheduled for a jury trial on Dec. 2, 2024. The charges against Barnes are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF. 

FRESNO, Calif. — Sandra Munagay, 42, of Atwater, a Senior Correctional Officer at the United States Penitentiary, Atwater appeared in federal court today for arraignment on a two-count indictment charging her with assaulting an inmate and obstruction of justice, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to the indictment, on Nov. 2, 2023, Munagay allegedly struck an inmate housed at the federal prison in Atwater. The same day, she falsified a report about the incident.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey A. Spivak and Karen A. Escobar are prosecuting the case.

Munagay is scheduled for a status conference on Dec. 11, 2024. If convicted, Munagay faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for falsifying a report to obstruct an investigation and one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for the assault. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Charles Dean Good, 55, of Stockton, was sentenced today to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Good stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in US postage stamps from the US Postal Service by passing counterfeit checks in the names of identity-theft victims.  He passed the bad checks at numerous post offices in Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties. In connection with the postage-stamp-theft scheme, Good possessed and used the name and California driver’s license number of at least one identity-theft victim. Between Feb. 2, 2012, and Jan. 18, 2019, he passed at least 1,326 bad checks, for a total loss to the U.S. Postal Service of at least $252,631, which he was ordered to pay in restitution.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Cristian Ceja, 27, of Turlock, pleaded guilty today to transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between Aug. 27, 2023, and Jan. 3, 2024, Ceja transported a minor victim from the Eastern District of California to Idaho with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Ceja met the minor victim when Ceja was working as a delivery driver and delivered food to the minor’s house. Ceja thereafter used the minor victim’s phone number to track her down on social media and communicate with her. Ceja began a lengthy sexual relationship with the minor victim who, at that time, was 15. During the course of their sexual relationship, Ceja would sneak into the minor victim’s bedroom to have sex with her without being detected by her parents. On at least two occasions, Ceja video recorded himself engaging in sexual contact with the minor victim.

On Aug. 26, 2023, the minor victim’s mother contacted law enforcement because she found provocative photographs of the minor victim in her bedroom and was concerned her daughter was having a sexual relationship with an adult. In the early morning hours of Aug. 27, 2023, Ceja took the minor victim and fled to avoid detection and to continue the sexual relationship. While on the run, Ceja attempted to evade detection by placing stolen license plates on his vehicle, obliterating the VIN from his vehicle’s dashboard, spray painting the vehicle a different color, and adopting a false name. In order to avoid detection, Ceja discarded his cellphone while in flight and used a “burner” phone.

Ceja first took the minor victim to Nevada and then to Idaho where they lived for several months in a small camper trailer without running water or heat. Law enforcement found the minor victim after she contacted a family member via social media. On Jan. 3, 2024, law enforcement officers arrived at the camper trailer, rescued the minor victim, and arrested Ceja.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuting the case.

Ceja is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Feb. 25, 2025. Ceja faces a mandatory statutory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — John Damian, 30, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to two years and three months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Nov. 8, 2023, law enforcement officers attempted to serve a search warrant on an armed robbery suspect who was walking with Damian. Damian was on parole for multiple felonies and was subject to a search clause. Damian initially hesitated to comply with the law enforcement officers’ commands and attempted to go around the side of the robbery suspect’s vehicle. But as the officers approached him, he admitted to having a gun. A loaded Glock 27 semi-automatic firearm was found in his right sweatshirt pocket. The firearm contained a 13-round magazine loaded with .40 caliber ammunition, but no round in the chamber. In his left sweatshirt pocket, detectives located approximately 20.74 grams of cocaine. Damian has previously been convicted of multiple felonies including assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, being a felon in possession of a firearm, assault on person with a semi-automatic firearm, and willful discharge of a firearm in a negligent manner.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew De Moura prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment against Leonel Hernandez, 51, of Parlier, charging him with mail fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Hernandez was employed as a supervisor for a farm labor contractor in Sanger. Between March 2017 and October 2020, Hernandez submitted falsified disability insurance claims using identities of individuals known to him, including some who were already deceased and some who were farm laborers in Sanger or Fresno. Hernandez forged physician signatures on the disability insurance claim forms, falsely certifying that the physicians had examined the claimants and falsely certifying other medical information that was allegedly obtained through such examinations. Hernandez used the U.S. mail to submit at least 20 claims and caused losses exceeding $300,000.   

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Employment Development Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chan Hee Chu and Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Hernandez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

FRESNO, Calif. — On Oct. 31, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Joel Damian Ortega, 35, of Merced, charging him with receipt and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following Ortega’s arrest yesterday.

According to court documents, between Jan. 26, 2024, and July 7, 2024, Ortega used a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to receive and distribute at least one visual depiction of a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Ortega also used an iPhone to receive at least one visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct on April 2, 2024.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Ortega faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and up to a $250,000 fine for each charge. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

FRESNO, Calif. — Louie Santiago Seja Jr., 35, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 14 years and one month in prison for receipt of visual depictions of minors being sexually abused, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The prison sentence is to be followed by 10 years of supervised release during which time Seja’s access to minors, computers, and the internet will be restricted, and he will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, in February and March 2019, Seja used a cellphone to receive more than 600 images of children being sexually abused. Some of the images depicted violence and prepubescent minors.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, specifically Homeland Security Investigations and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

FRESNO, Calif. — Henry Ellard Jr., 39, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to stealing $144,000 in COVID-19 relief money, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, in July 2020, Ellard created Baptiste Ellard LLC. He then caused Baptiste Ellard LLC to apply for and receive $144,000 in COVID-19 relief money from the Small Business Administration (SBA). Ellard falsely represented to the SBA that Baptiste Ellard LLC had 10 employees, an annual payroll of more than $695,000, and that he would use the loan proceeds for business expenses. However, Ellard knew the company had no employees, no annual payroll, and no real operations and as such, the company was ineligible for PPP loans. Ellard subsequently used $144,000 of the relief money for personal expenses, including restaurants, bars, airfare, hotels, clothing, and golf.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Arelis M. Clemente are prosecuting the case.

Ellard is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24, 2025. Ellard faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and fine of $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, which is one of the interagency COVID-19 fraud strike forces established by the United States Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California, and focuses on large-scale, multistate, and egregious pandemic relief fraud. The strike force uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — William Lesley, 34, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to four years and nine months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers conducted a parole search in Galt at the residence of Lesley’s co-defendant, Dexter Weeks, 35, a known felon on parole. While clearing the residence, officers encountered Lesley as he was coming out of a bedroom. In the bedroom where Lesley had exited, officers found a loaded Ruger pistol in a backpack on the floor near the bed. Lesley is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he has multiple state felony convictions.

After pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, Weeks was sentenced on Aug. 27, 2024, to seven years in prison.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Haddy Abouzeid prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

FRESNO, Calif. — Donis Ariel Maldonado, 28, a Guatemalan national residing in El Monte, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Maldonado agreed with other members of the conspiracy to distribute 22 pounds of heroin and over 80 pounds of methamphetamine sourced from Mexico.  On June 24, 2019, Maldonado delivered the drugs to an informant in Fresno.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA), which consists of personnel from the California Department of Justice, Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Kings County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Maldonado is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Feb. 18, 2025. Maldonado faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $2 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF. 

FRESNO, Calif. — Pilar Rose, 51, formerly of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to tax evasion and obstructing an IRS audit, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Rose also agreed to forfeit her interest in more than $2.5 million of proceeds from the sale of her and her husband’s mansion and BMW that authorities previously seized.

According to court records, from 2012 through 2015, Rose prepared false financial statements for her husband’s orthodontics practice that significantly underreported the practice’s profits. As a result, Rose evaded more than $870,000 that she and her husband owed in federal taxes.

Then, in early 2016, Rose obstructed an IRS audit of her and her husband’s taxes. She altered hundreds of checks that were for the couple’s nondeductible personal expenses, such as their mortgage, utilities, landscaping, pool cleaning, cars, credit cards, and children’s college tuition, to make it appear as though the checks were for deductible business expenses. She also created false financial statements for her husband’s orthodontics practice to match the altered checks. She provided the altered checks and false financial statements to the IRS auditors to try to avoid paying the federal taxes that she and her husband actually owed.

In June 2015, Rose had sought a $1.5 million home mortgage refinance loan on the couple’s mansion located on Van Ness Boulevard in Fresno. To assure the bank of their creditworthiness and induce the bank to make the loan, Rose submitted copies of her and her husband’s federal tax returns that showed significantly greater income than was reported on the actual returns they filed with the IRS. The bank declined the loan after discovering the discrepancies.

Then, in July 2015, Rose applied to a second bank for a $1,475,000 home mortgage refinance loan on the Van Ness Boulevard residence. In the application, she represented that their bank accounts had a combined balance of more than $250,000 when they actually had less than $3,000. She also submitted copies of her and her husband’s federal tax returns, and a profit and loss statement, that significantly exaggerated the profitability of her husband’s orthodontics practice. As a result, the second bank approved the loan, and Rose and her husband received $1,475,000 to which they were not entitled. Authorities later seized the residence.

Moreover, in September 2017, Rose purchased a new BMW sedan for approximately $90,000. She made a $25,000 down payment and financed the remaining $65,000 through a loan she obtained from a third bank. In the loan application, Rose represented that she was an attorney who made more than $600,000 per year when she actually was not an attorney. She also used the Social Security number belonging to her husband’s former dental school classmate because she knew that using her real SSN would result in her having a low credit score, which may have disqualified her from receiving the loan. As a result, the loan was approved, and Rose received more than $65,000 to which she was not entitled. Authorities later seized the BMW.

This case is the product of an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton, Michael Tierney, Alyson Berg, and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.

Rose is scheduled to be sentenced on March 17, 2025. She faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and $100,000 fine for the tax evasion charge and an additional three years in prison and a $5,000 fine for the obstruction charge. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

FRESNO, Calif. — Todd Eric Mumma, 61, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 21 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release during which time his access to minors, computers, and the internet will be restricted, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Mumma was also ordered to register as a sex offender and pay a forfeiture money judgment, representing the proceeds of property subject to forfeiture totaling $160,000. The court also ordered that Mumma pay $71,200 in restitution to a victim and $55,100 in special assessments.

In March 2024, a federal jury found Mumma guilty of actual and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Mumma used hidden digital video recording devices in a residence to create sexually explicit images of a minor. He edited recordings on a computer and then transferred the most sexually explicit images onto a cellphone where the images were stored in a password‑protected application and viewed numerous times.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, specifically, Homeland Security Investigations and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

FRESNO, Calif. — Jatinderjeet “Jyoti” Sihota, 37, of Selma, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit crop insurance fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, for many years, Sihota’s family’s farming operation produced table grapes and other crops in Fresno and Tulare Counties, and it sold many of those crops through a fruit packing company where Ralph Hackett was a member and manager. The farming operation also entered into financial agreements with the fruit packing company where various costs that the farming operation incurred selling its crops were advanced and covered by the company. The farming operation then had to pay the fruit packing company back by a certain date.

Beginning in 2012, Sihota became involved with her family’s farming operation. Thereafter, from 2012 through 2016, she and Hackett carried out a fraud scheme to obtain more than $650,000 in crop insurance payments to which they were not entitled. They caused false information that underreported the amount of crops the farming operation sold through the fruit packing company to be provided to the insurance company to make it appear as though the farming operation had suffered significant crop losses when that was not true.

Hackett, 69, of Clovis, was separately charged and has pleaded guilty for his role in the fraud scheme. He agreed to certain sentencing enhancements because he directed lower-level employees at the fruit packing company to participate in the scheme and hid his misconduct from other principals at the company. Hackett also agreed to pay criminal restitution of $650,000 and a separate civil settlement of $605,000.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and Risk Management Agency Special Investigations Staff. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.

“The USDA OIG is committed to combatting crop insurance fraud through criminal investigations and civil enforcement.  Fraudulent activity within the crop insurance program undermines its intent and misdirects taxpayer dollars from where they were intended.  We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California for pursuing justice until these conspirators were held accountable,” said USDA OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Shawn Dionida.

Sihota is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2025, and Hackett is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2025. They each face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

FRESNO, Calif. — Jorge Calderon-Campos, aka Americano, 42, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston for his involvement in a drug distribution operation in Bakersfield and for unlawfully possessing animals for the purpose of cockfighting, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on March 30, 2021, Calderon supplied 26 pounds of methamphetamine to co-defendants Mark Garcia, 24, of Lamont, and Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 38, a Mexican national. On April 7, 2021, Calderon was involved in a 60-pound methamphetamine transaction with co-defendants Byron Adilio Alfaro-Sandoval, 47, of Bakersfield; Francisco Javier Torres Mora, aka Johnathan Benjamin Torres, 31, a Mexican national; and Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 39, a Mexican national. In addition, on Jan. 27, 2022, Calderon obtained more than 2 pounds of heroin from co-defendant Jose Angel Beltran-Chaidez, 68, a Mexican national, after Calderon negotiated for the drug with Beltran’s brother and co-defendant Antonio Beltran-Chaidez, 54, also a Mexican national. Each of these drug transactions occurred in Bakersfield.

In addition, between Jan. 16 and April 26, 2022, Calderon knowingly possessed fighting birds for the purpose of having them participate in an animal fighting venture, in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. During a search of his residence on April 26, 2022, law enforcement officers found numerous hens for breeding gamecocks and fighting roosters, various cockfighting implements, including razors and spurs, and six cockfighting trophies, including several with plates inscribed with “Team Amkno” (shorthand for “Team Americano”). At another property where Horacio Ortega-Martinez, 38, a Mexican national, resided and where Calderon maintained drugs and some of his fighting birds, officers found approximately 250 fighting roosters, approximately 250 “Mexican slashers” or knives used for cockfighting, training mitts commonly used for training and fighting roosters, and miscellaneous antibiotics, vitamins and supplements that commonly are used for breeding and training roosters for fighting.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Land Management, Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Kern County Sheriff's Office, Kern County Probation Department, and Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Six of the defendants in this investigation have entered guilty pleas, including:

• Alberto Gomez-Santiago, who was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison.
• Francisco Javier Torres Mora, who was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison.
• Antonio Beltran-Chaidez, who was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in prison.
• Horacio Ortega-Martinez, who was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for a violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
• Jose Beltran-Chaidez, who is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 2, 2024.
• Mark Garcia, who is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 3, 2024.

Charges are pending against Alfaro-Sandoval, and he is scheduled for trial on Jan. 28, 2025. The charges are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF. 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a single-count indictment against Kevin Dail Meadors, 56, of El Dorado Hills, charging him with receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between July 1, 2023, and Dec. 9, 2023, Meadors knowingly received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment alleges that Meadors suffered a prior conviction for committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, which affects the potential penalties he faces in this case.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, and Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nchekube Onyima and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Meadors faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sean Thomas Delapp, 38, of Vallejo, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 24, 2023, Delapp assaulted two FBI special agents by pursuing them with his car, pulling up alongside them, and aiming a firearm at them through the window, making a recoil motion with the firearm. A subsequent search warrant at his residence resulted in the discovery of a Glock 29 firearm, ammunition, and various firearm parts. Delapp is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he was previously convicted of a felony evasion offense.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Daniel Joseph Valencia, 26, of Selma, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on April 28, 2024, Valencia was found to be in possession of three firearms that had recently been reported as stolen. Valencia cannot legally possess firearms because he has been previously convicted of several felony offenses, including aggravated assault and domestic violence.

This case is the product of an investigation by the California Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Baty is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Valencia faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Donald Henderson, 30, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Sept. 4, 2024, Henderson arranged to sell a rifle to an undercover police officer in Clovis. When officers arrived, Henderson quickly entered a vehicle as a passenger, at which point officers engaged in a high-speed chase during which Henderson threw a rifle out the window. The rifle was a privately manufactured firearm, or “ghost gun,” with a loaded high-capacity magazine.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Henderson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The FBI asks anyone with relevant information about the crimes in this press release to fill out this questionnaire. For more information, go to the Seeking Victims Page. 

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against 11 foreign nationals, charging them with bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery arising from a string of robberies from banks and ATMs throughout California, Oregon, and Washington, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, the defendants are part of an ongoing conspiracy to break into and steal money from financial institutions between May and October of 2024. To avoid detection, the crew rented short-term vacation properties near their intended targets and used cars rented on the black market. Conspirators identified ATMs in vulnerable locations and then, using construction-crew disguises, blowtorches, and cellphone jammers, among other sophisticated tactics, broke into the ATMs and stole their cash. More than 29 banks and credit unions were targeted during the period of the conspiracy, with more than $4 million in cash taken.

Nine of those charged were arrested last week and two more were arrested in Washington on October 30. The charged defendants are Alex Moyano Morales, 24, of Chile; Maite Celis Silva, 26, of Chile; Erik Osorio Olivarez, 20, of Chile; Pablo Valdez Rodriguez, 36, a Chilean national; Rosa Bastias Serra, 42, of Chile; Camilo Sepulveda Guzman, 31, of Peru; Bassil Dacosta Frias, 34, of Venezuela; Camilo Alarcon Alarcon, 23, of Chile; Michelle Parada Munoz, 21, of Chile; Alvaro Lagos Mieres, 44, of Chile, and Humberto Jimenez Moreno, 45, of Chile. All defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Moyano, Celis, Osorio, Valdez, Bastias, Sepulveda, Lagos, and Jimenez are additionally charged with bank robbery.

Court documents allege that the defendants targeted banks and ATMs throughout the Eastern District of California (Fresno, Auburn, Merced, Clovis, Modesto, Roseville, Rocklin, Yuba City, and Fall River Mills) as well as in Oregon, Washington, and the Los Angeles area.  The alleged incidents include the following:

On Sept. 18, 2024, the defendants robbed a Wells Fargo in Modesto. Before that robbery, several co-conspirators scouted an adjoining business before returning during the night to cut a hole through the wall of the adjoining business to access the Wells Fargo ATMs. Co-conspirators also obtained cars and rental homes to facilitate that robbery.

On Sept. 22, 2024, the defendants broke into and stole money from a Golden 1 Credit Union ATM where they wore similar disguises as in other thefts.

Alleged conspiracy members at the September 22, 2024 Golden 1 robbery.

On Sept. 28, 2024, the defendants broke into Tri Counties Bank in Fall River Mills in Shasta County. They used blowtorches, saws, and other power tools to access the bank and interior vaults within it. During this robbery, the conspirators were interrupted and left some of their tools behind.

Bank vaults broken into at the Tri Counties Bank, along with tools left behind.

Alleged conspiracy members inside the Tri Counties Bank.

According to court documents, investigators tracked the crew to several short-term rental properties in Oregon and Washington where the FBI executed search warrants and found hundreds of pounds of robbery tools, disguises, fake identification documents, and more than $100,000 in cash. Valdez, Sepulveda, Bastias, Dacosta, Alarcon, Parada, Lagos and Jimenez were arrested in Washington. Separately, Moyano, Celis, and Osorio were arrested in the greater Los Angeles area, after the execution of a search warrant at a residence there.

Valdez, Sepulveda, Bastias, Dacosta, Alarcon and Parada had their initial appearances in the Western District of Washington and are being transported to Fresno to face the indictment. Lagos and Jimenez are expected to have their initial appearance in the Western District of Washington on Oct. 31, 2024. Moyano, Celis, and Osorio have their next court date in Fresno on Nov. 6, 2024.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the police departments of the cities of Fresno, Citrus Heights, Clovis, Elk Grove, Fresno, Modesto, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sacramento and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office, and the Seattle Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California also received assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Oregon and the Western District of Washington. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert L. Veneman-Hughes and Justin J. Gilio are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Christopher Espinoza, 32, of Carmichael, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to 16 years in prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release for sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in November 2018, Espinoza obtained multiple sexually explicit images of a 10-year-old minor victim by communicating directly with the minor victim through electronic means. In January 2019, law enforcement officers contacted Espinoza due to complaints that he was making inappropriate requests to parents who were selling sports equipment and costumes online, by seeking photographs of their children. Subsequent law enforcement investigation revealed that Espinoza had hundreds of videos and photos of child pornography on his electronic devices. It also revealed a log showing Espinoza had 33 phone calls with the 10-year-old minor victim and exchanged text messages with the minor victim where Espinoza requested and received nude pictures of the minor.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dominic Davis, 38, and Sharitia Wright, 59, both of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to file false claims with the IRS, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between March 2019 and April 2022, Davis and Wright caused at least nine fraudulent income-tax returns to be filed with the IRS claiming more than $2 million of income tax refunds.

The returns were filed in the names of Davis, Wright, and family members. The returns listed wages that the taxpayers had not earned and often listed the taxpayers’ employer as one of the various LLCs created by Davis, Wright, and their family members. Many of the returns also falsely claimed charitable contributions that were not actually made. Davis prepared and filed the false tax returns. Wright provided him information and contacted the IRS to check on the status of the refunds claimed in the false tax returns.

Davis and Wright agreed to pay restitution for the fraudulent income tax refunds that they received.

This case is the product of an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg is prosecuting the case.

Davis and Wright are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Feb. 3, 2025. Each faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael Valentino Lovato, 35, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 19 years and 10 months in prison and for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, after previously being convicted of drug trafficking, Lovato engaged in a conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and over 500 grams of methamphetamine in Sacramento in April 2022. During the conspiracy, Lovato sold fentanyl pills to an undercover source on multiple separate occasions and also sold methamphetamine to the source.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily G. Sauvageau and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew De Moura prosecuted the case.

Charges are pending against co-defendant Gilbert Ramirez, of Sacramento. The charges against him are only allegations, and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This prosecution is also part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. The Sacramento Strike Force is a co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the Sacramento Strike Force is to identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle the most significant drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) shipping narcotics, firearms, and money through the Eastern District of California, thereby reducing the flow of these criminal resources in California and the rest of the United States. The Sacramento Strike Force leads intelligence-driven investigations targeting the leadership and support elements of these DTOs and TCOs operating within the Eastern District of California, regardless of their geographic base of operations.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Khasigian will serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of California in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5 general election. The DEO is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of Election Day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The 34 counties in the Eastern District are: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba.

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).

In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Khasigian will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 916-554-2723.

U.S. Attorney Talbert stated, “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The local FBI field office can be reached by phone at 916-746-7000.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC, by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pedro Luis Millan, aka Peter Millan, 38, of Montebello, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to 12 years and nine months in prison for conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in May 2021, Millan conspired with Brent Hooton, 51, of Marysville, to produce an image of a severely autistic child who was under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hooton produced the image and then sent it to Millan and other users over the Kik messaging app. Millan received that image, as well as additional sexual abuse images of the same child victim, from Hooton over the Kik app.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.

On Aug. 27, 2024, Hooton was sentenced to 27 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Roselyn Mims, 51, of Linda, pleaded guilty today to theft of government property, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Mims was a Certified Nurse Assistant and In-Home Support Services (IHSS) home healthcare provider in the State of California, and she provided IHSS care to an elderly woman who received monthly Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits. When the elderly woman passed away, her death was not reported to SSA and, as a result, SSA continued to direct deposit SSA benefits into her bank account.

Following the elderly woman’s death, Mims possessed her checkbook tied to the account that received SSA benefits. From August 2016 through August 2023, Mims used those stolen checks to make out checks to herself and others. In particular, Mims forged the elderly woman’s signature, either cashed or deposited the forged checks, and then gave the money to associates or family members or used the money to pay various bills, including rent, utilities, and medical bills. When Mims ran out of checks from the checkbook, she used the elderly woman’s bank account number and routing number to pay bills electronically. Mims only stopped her theft and conversion of the SSA benefits after being interviewed by law enforcement in August 2023.

Mims’ theft of government funds resulted in a total loss of $156,445 to SSA. She has agreed to pay this amount back in restitution.

This case is the product of an investigation by the SSA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Moody and Denise N. Yasinow are prosecuting the case.

Mims is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Feb. 11, 2025. Mims faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Oct. 10, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment against Ricky Lee Ware, 41; Kimberly Ann Wallace, 28, of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Carlos Lee Sanchez Jr., 44, of Sacramento, charging them with conspiring to commit access device fraud and access device fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment also charges Sanchez with an additional count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment was unsealed following the arrests of Wallace and Sanchez.

According to court documents, between July 2020 and January 2021, the defendants conspired to obtain debit cards that allowed them to access unemployment benefits. The unemployment benefits were in the names of people who did not know the defendants. The defendants then used the debit cards to withdraw more than $900,000 in unemployment benefits from ATMs.

According to the indictment, on March 28, 2023, Sanchez possessed a Ruger-57 handgun. Sanchez is prohibited from possessing firearms because he has been convicted of distribution of cocaine.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Homeland Security Investigations; Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of the conspiracy, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 7.5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of the access device fraud counts, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sanchez, if convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This effort is part of a California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, one of five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the U.S. Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces use prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.