Eastern District of California

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Damien Torres, 22, of Wasco, charging him with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 5, 2021, Torres was found in possession of ammunition after officers contacted him in response to a disturbance call. On Nov. 29, 2021, Torres was found in possession of a firearm after he failed to yield to officers as they were trying to stop him for a traffic violation. On March 18, 2022, Torres was found to be in possession of a firearm during a search of his residence, and on May 2, 2022, a firearm was found at Torres’ residence during a search after reports of a confrontation involving Torres striking a male with a firearm the day before. Torres is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based on his prior convictions for taking a vehicle without consent and possession of a loaded a firearm by a gang member.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Kern County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Torres faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for 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 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. – Today the Justice Department announced the establishment of three strike force teams created to enhance the department’s existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related fraud.

The strike force teams will operate out of U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Southern District of Florida, the District of Maryland, and a joint effort between the Eastern and Central Districts of California.

“These Strike Force teams will build on the Department’s historic enforcement efforts to deter, detect, and disrupt pandemic fraud wherever it occurs,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Since the start of this pandemic, the Justice Department has seized over $1.2 billion in relief funds that criminals were attempting to steal, and charged over 1,500 defendants with crimes in federal districts across the country, but our work is far from over. The Department will continue to work relentlessly to combat pandemic fraud and hold accountable those who perpetrate it.”

“The Strike Force Teams are the latest example of the Justice Department’s commitment to fight pandemic fraud,” said Associate Deputy Attorney General Kevin Chambers, who serves as the department’s Director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement. “The work being done by our prosecutors, trial attorneys, agents and partners on our COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force has been extraordinary. We’re going a step further today with the announcement of strike force teams to support, enhance, and continue the great work being done across the department.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California is proud to be included as a part of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. “We have had early successes pursuing COVID-19 fraud both civilly and criminally. For example, our district obtained the first civil settlement in the nation for fraud related to the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, and we have brought a number of criminal prosecutions against defendants who obtained through fraud relief monies intended to help those in need. We remain committed to leading investigations and vigorously prosecuting those who commit COVID-19 fraud.” Recent examples of the Eastern District of California’s COVID-19 fraud work include the following:

U.S. v. Daryol Richmond, et al, 1:21-cr-184 DAD

Daryol Richmond, 31, a Kern Valley State Prison inmate, pleaded guilty on Feb. 22, 2022, to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges for his role in a $25 million unemployment insurance fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven others, including an inmate at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, California, were charged in the scheme. According to the plea agreement, between June 2020 and December 2020, Richmond obtained the personally identifiable information (PII) for other individuals, including inmates and non-inmates, without their authorization. He then provided this information to his co-conspirators inside and outside of prison through emails and jail calls. The co-conspirators then filed applications for unemployment insurance with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) that falsely stated that the inmates, minor children, and others previously worked as clothing merchants, handymen, and other jobs, and recently became unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Charges are pending against the other seven defendants; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The charges carry a sentence up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. v. Makiah Miles, et al., 1:22-cr-129 ADA

An inmate at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Makiah Miles, 29, of Compton, California, and her mother Apryl Weston, 50, of Santa Maria, California, took advantage of changes made to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) eligibility criteria in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and submitted the fraudulent claims. The inmate obtained other inmates’ names, dates of birth, and social security numbers and sent that information to her mother on the outside for her to submit claims in those inmates’ identities as well as her own identity. The underlying applications contained several misrepresentations, including that the inmates had been self-employed as accountants, beauty culturists, child care providers, cosmetologists, hairdressers, and other occupations, and that they recently became unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The claims were worth over $550,000. The defendants used the money to purchase handbags, jewelry, and televisions, among other items. The pending charges carry a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.

Since the establishment of the task force, the department has worked closely with our law enforcement partners to analyze the extraordinary amount of data from our state workforce agency partners and the Small Business Administration. The strike force teams will be composed of dedicated prosecutors and agents from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee and the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The strike force teams are designed to accelerate the process of turning data analytics into criminal investigations, which will enhance prosecutions. This prosecutor-led approach has proven successful in other organized crime arenas; it will be key to dismantling the networks that stole pandemic relief funds.

The Justice Department’s efforts to combat COVID-19 related fraud schemes have proceeded on numerous fronts, including cases and investigations involving the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs, and COVID-19 health care fraud enforcement.

For further information on the Criminal Division’s enforcement efforts on PPP fraud, including court documents from significant cases, visit the following website: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. For further information on the Civil Division’s enforcement efforts, visit the following website: https://www.justice.gov/civil.

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. — Brian Baptise Formiconi, 49, of Roseville, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers in Canada were investigating a large network of Kik Messenger users that were trading child pornography. When reviewing some of the chats, they found messages containing nude pictures of a minor victim being sent by Formiconi. Information from Kik, internet service providers, and other investigations led to the identification of Formiconi and the victim.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roger Yang and Audrey Hemesath 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. — Robert Pierre Duncan, 26, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for a conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a child, sex trafficking of a child, and escape from custody, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

On March 8, 2022, a federal jury found Duncan guilty on all counts of a three-count superseding indictment after a seven–day trial. According to evidence presented at trial, between September and October 2018, Duncan recruited a 17-year-old girl to engage in prostitution in Oakland and San Francisco. He frequently drove the victim to areas known for prostitution activity where he caused her to have sex with strangers for money, which he kept. Duncan also posted online prostitution ads depicting the victim and harbored the victim at an Oakland motel so she could have sex with sex buyers. Duncan was on parole for assault with a semiautomatic firearm at the time.

In late September 2018, law enforcement officers recovered the victim and sent the victim to a children’s group home in Woodland. However, a few weeks later, Duncan, working with his co-conspirator, Eva Christian, 25, extracted the victim from the children’s group home in the middle of the night. The next day, Duncan put the victim back to work engaging in prostitution on the streets of Oakland. Duncan kept his child victim at his Sacramento apartment thereafter. He also managed his trafficking of her from this location, using his cellphone and a GPS tracking application on that phone to monitor and direct the victim’s prostitution activity in Oakland.

On May 31, 2019, Duncan was arrested, but immediately broke free and fled through Midtown Sacramento until he was finally apprehended again several blocks away from the scene of his initial arrest. He fought the arresting officer so violently that the officer required surgery for an injury he sustained while arresting Duncan.

Evidence at trial also showed that Duncan sent a letter to Christian—his co-defendant—in which he urged her to lie about Duncan’s knowledge that his trafficking victim was 17 years old. Duncan’s letter encouraged his co‑defendant to claim that she could not remember various details about Duncan’s trafficking of the child victim.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Department of Justice’s Special Operations Unit, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Woodland Police Department, and the Oakland Police Department with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki prosecuted the case.

On April 8, 2021, co-defendant Christian pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19, 2022.

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. — Alejandro Galvan-Silvestre, 23, of Bakersfield, was arrested today, charged with knowingly aiming the beam of a laser pointer at Air One, a Kern County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

A federal grand jury returned the indictment on Aug. 25, 2022. It was unsealed today after Galvan-Silvestre’s arrest. According to court documents, on Sept. 5, 2021, Galvan-Silvestre aimed the beam of a laser pointer at Air One.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Galvan-Silvestre 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. — A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment today against Sanit Khamthong, 41, of Marysville, charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, three counts of distribution of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of heroin, and possession with intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between May and August 2022, Khamthong conspired with others to acquire methamphetamine and heroin and distribute it in Sacramento, Sutter, and Placer Counties. On Aug. 29, 2022, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle that Khamthong was driving. The officer subsequently located a gallon-size bag of heroin in Khamthong’s pants.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office, the Yuba City Police Department, the Marysville Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Khamthong faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5 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 defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Derrick Dewayne Gage, 41, of Bakersfield, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on April 23, 2022, law enforcement officers were on patrol at the Plaza Motel on Union Avenue in Bakersfield when they saw Gage inside a room with a firearm and what appeared to be narcotics. The officers seized a loaded Sarsilmaz 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. Gage is prohibited from possessing firearms because he has prior felony convictions for domestic violence, participation in a criminal street gang, and sales of cocaine.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Gage faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 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.

Katterin McCray, 25, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Jan. 15, 2022, police officers in Bakersfield attempted to stop a vehicle in which McCray was the passenger for traffic infractions. The vehicle sped off and McCray discarded from the vehicle a Glock, Model 22, 40 caliber handgun with a high-capacity magazine and ammunition near the intersection of Cottonwood Road and Casa Loma Drive in Bakersfield. Because of his criminal record, including a 2017 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and a 2018 conviction for receiving known stolen property, McCray may not lawfully possess firearms or ammunition.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case.

McCray is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba on Dec. 12, 2022. McCray 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.

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. — Jaswinder Singh, 60, of Los Angeles, was sentenced today to serve a nine-month prison sentence and to pay a $7,500 fine for attempting to obstruct an official proceeding, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Singh contacted a trial witness in a pending federal criminal case and instructed the witness to lie to law enforcement as a trial date approached. The witness knew that Singh and others had participated in a conspiracy to bribe a DMV official to fraudulently obtain California commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) for numerous drivers who did not want to take (or could not pass) the necessary tests. Nevertheless, Singh instructed the witness to falsely tell law enforcement the witness knew nothing, not to mention anything about Singh or Singh’s participation in the conspiracy, and not to name any names. Singh also told the witness not to talk on the phone and that it was very important for them to make sure their stories were similar to one another. On another occasion, Singh himself provided false statements about his knowledge and his role to law enforcement while the conspiracy was under investigation.

This case was the product of an investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Internal Affairs, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rosanne L. Rust and Christopher Hales prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Rothel Leandre Satchell, 32, of Stockton, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on July 15, 2022, an Audi sedan made an illegal U-turn, sped off, and led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase through a residential neighborhood. The vehicle ultimately was unable to navigate a turn and crashed into a row of parked cars. The driver, later identified as Satchell, climbed out of the passenger side door and fled on foot. Once apprehended, officers located a privately manufactured firearm (commonly known as a “ghost gun”) on Satchell’s person and a high-capacity magazine containing 27 rounds in the vehicle. Satchell is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he was previously convicted of two felonies, including a 2021 conviction for being a felon in possession of ammunition.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Satchell 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 a multiple-count indictment today against Richard Best, 68, of Fresno, and Shawn Sawa, 46, formerly of Clovis, charging them with conspiracy and wire fraud.

According to court documents, from 2015 through 2017, Best and Sawa stole $4.8 million worth of canola used in cow feed from international food processors. They then sold the canola for a windfall.

Best and Sawa carried out the scheme through Best’s now defunct train-to-truck transloading company, Richard Best Transfer Inc. (RBT). A transloading company transfers commodities from one mode of transportation to another mode. The victims sent hundreds of thousands of tons of their canola and other commodities to RBT for delivery to their customers. Sawa was the manager of one of the victim’s branch offices in Fresno and had a close relationship with Best.

Best and Sawa sold the stolen canola through an acquaintance in Texas who used to work in the livestock feed industry. The acquaintance sold the stolen canola to farms and dairies, and distributed the proceeds according to Best’s instructions. This included wire transfers to RBT, Best, and Sawa’s bank accounts. The account that Sawa used was opened in his spouse’s name to try to conceal the scheme.

Throughout the scheme, Best and Sawa caused RBT to send fraudulent inventory reports to the victims representing that RBT had certain amounts of their canola in-stock when, in fact, RBT had significantly lesser amounts. Whenever the victims began to make inquiries about missing canola, Best and Sawa told them it had been destroyed by bad weather when it had actually been stolen.

Best and Sawa used the proceeds from the scheme to cover RBT’s operating expenses, purchase luxury homes and multiple vehicles, take trips, and hire private karate teachers, among other expenses.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Best and Sawa face maximum statutory penalties of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the conspiracy and wire fraud counts. 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.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Billy Reo Howard, 51, of Bakersfield, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on June 3, 2022, law enforcement officers on routine patrol observed Howard driving a vehicle with expired tags on Garces Highway. When the officers attempted to conduct an enforcement stop, Howard ran a stop sign, drove at a high rate of speed, and failed to yield. As the officers continued behind the vehicle, they saw a firearm being thrown from the driver’s side window. The officers located the firearm, a loaded Bersa .380‑caliber pistol. Howard ran from the vehicle and was eventually located hiding on a nearby property. Howard has several felony convictions for evading a peace officer, possessing a controlled substance for sale, carjacking, and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Delano Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Howard faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 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 parent and a onetime dean of a boarding school for troubled youth have been arrested for a scheme that took a teen against his will and transported him from California to Missouri, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

A federal indictment was unsealed Tuesday charging Shana Gaviola, 35, formerly of Clovis, and Julio Sandoval, 41, of Piedmont, Missouri, with violating a protective order that had been issued at the request of Gaviola’s son in July 2021. Sandoval was formerly the dean of students at a boarding school in Missouri. He was also the founder of an agency that transported minors to the boarding school.

According to court documents, in 2020, Gaviola’s son began living apart from Gaviola with another family. He petitioned for emancipation from Gaviola and obtained a domestic violence protection order against Gaviola from the Fresno County Superior Court. The order prohibited Gaviola from harassing, striking, threatening, assaulting, hitting, following, stalking, molesting, disturbing the peace, keeping under surveillance, and blocking the movements of her son, and contacting him in any way, including directly or indirectly, and from denying his use and possession of his phone. 

Despite the protection order, Gaviola and Sandoval made plans for Gaviola’s son to be forcibly transported from California to Missouri. On Aug. 21, 2021, individuals acting on behalf of Gaviola and Sandoval found the minor at a business in Fresno, handcuffed him, and forced him into a car. He remained in handcuffs for over 24 hours while they drove to Stockton, Missouri. He was then held at the boarding school until his father was able to free him.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Fresno Police Department, and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael G. Tierney is prosecuting the case. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Missouri and the Eastern District of Missouri.

If convicted, each defendant 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. — Marcus Lawrence Weber, 26, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to five years and 11 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on March 16, 2022, Weber had four pending felony arrest warrants when law enforcement officers located him hiding in Roseville. When officers tried to pull Weber over to arrest him, he led them on a car chase through a populated apartment complex, speeding past multiple vehicles and people. The police eventually surrounded Weber in a cul-de-sac, where he abandoned his car and continued his flight on foot, wearing a black ski mask. He ran past a family with two small children, dropped the firearm, picked it back up, and eventually tossed the firearm in thick brush before being arrested. The firearm, a Ruger 5.7, was loaded with a 20-round extended magazine with one round in the chamber.

Weber possessed that firearm while on the run from a spree of four firearm related felony offenses that he committed within a five-month period. Weber began this crime spree after being only a month and a half on probation from a prior felony drug trafficking offense that involved the discharge of a firearm into his neighbor's apartment.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Police Department, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force 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 three-count indictment was unsealed today following the arrest of Charles Barrett, 38, who is charged with aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in August 2016, Barrett forcibly committed sexual assault on two occasions and committed abusive sexual contact on a third.

If you have information related to this case or believe you may be a victim, please submit a tip online, call 888-653-0009, or email nps_isb@nps.gov.

This case is the product of an investigation by the National Park Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Sanchez, Michael Tierney, and Jessica Massey are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Barrett faces a maximum statutory penalty of life 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. — Dawniel Santangelo, 44, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 17 years and seven months in prison for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a child, three counts of sex trafficking a child, and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to evidence presented at trial, between September 2018 and May 2019, Santangelo recruited 15-, 16-, and 17-year-old girls to engage in prostitution throughout Northern California and Southern Oregon. Santangelo enticed the girls to perform sex acts for strangers by providing alcohol, drugs, and creating a party atmosphere in motels in Stockton and Salinas. She then posted online prostitution ads depicting the victims and brought the victims to truck stops and motels to have sex with men for money, which she and co-defendant Lucious James Roy, 34, of Stockton, took from the victims. After the victims began engaging in commercial sex acts, Santangelo urged them to continue, reassuring them when they felt insecure.

In early May 2019, Santangelo and Roy recruited a 15-year-old runaway from the Modesto area to engage in prostitution. They drove the victim from Merced to Medford, Oregon, Santangelo’s former hometown, where Santangelo advertised on the internet and harbored the victim in a motel room that she rented. After a few days in Oregon, the victim called her family for help, and police officers subsequently found the victim in Santangelo’s motel room along with Santangelo and Roy.

“Santangelo’s conduct in this case was egregious. She played an essential part in the conspiracy recruiting the girls with false promises of freedom and fun. Once she reeled them in, she quickly put them to work, exploiting three children over hundreds of miles for over nine months,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and should deter others from engaging in such conduct. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will relentlessly target and prosecute sexual predators who victimize vulnerable children.”

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office, the Medford (Oregon) Police Department, and the Jackson County (Oregon) District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron L. Desmond prosecuted the case.

On April 12, 2021, Roy was sentenced by Judge Mueller to 17 years and seven months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a child.

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. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment against German Antonio Lopez-Velasquez, 55, of Modesto; Marko Antonio Lopez, 27, of Modesto; and Lisa Marie Santos, 48, of Long Beach, charging them with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Lopez-Velasquez was also charged with witness tampering. He is alleged to have attempted to persuade an individual to make false statements to law enforcement officers regarding a mortgage loan under investigation.

According to court documents, Lopez-Velasquez and Lopez, who were both real estate agents, worked with Santos, a mortgage loan officer, to obtain fraudulent mortgage loans for properties based in Stanislaus County, San Joaquin County, Santa Clara County, and elsewhere. The three utilized false documents, fictional companies, and fictional individuals to obtain mortgage loans for borrowers who were not qualified to receive loans. In total, the defendants caused lenders to issue at least 30 loans based on false information with a total principal loan balance exceeding $10 million.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Spivak is prosecuting the case.

“The FHFA-OIG is committed to holding accountable those who waste, steal, or abuse the resources of the Government-Sponsored Enterprises regulated by FHFA, which the defendants have been charged with defrauding,” said Jay Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FHFA-OIG, Western Regional Office. “We are proud to have worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners on this case and to demonstrate, once again, that FHFA-OIG will investigate and hold accountable those who seek to victimize the Government-Sponsored Enterprises supervised and regulated by FHFA.”

“This case demonstrates HUD OIG’s commitment to pursuing and bringing to justice those who put Federal programs, such as the FHA Mortgage Insurance Fund at risk for their own enrichment,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark T. Kaminsky with HUD OIG Office of Investigation. “HUD OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners and the US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California to investigate and hold accountable those who perpetrate mortgage fraud in central California.”

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. If convicted, Lopez‑Velasquez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for witness tampering. 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.

FRESNO, Calif. — Marino Cruz Diaz, 24, of Taft, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 10 years in prison for illegally cultivating marijuana in a national forest and ordered to pay over $13,000 in restitution for damage to the land, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in July 2019, law enforcement officers located a clandestine marijuana grow site in Sequoia National Forest in Fresno County. On Aug. 2, 2019, officers hiked into the grow site, where they found and arrested Marino Cruz Diaz and Moreno Florez. The grow contained over 2,400 marijuana plants, chemicals, fertilizers, chicken wire, irrigation lines, and man-made dams and water reservoirs that diverted water from nearby creeks. On May 27, 2022, Cruz Diaz pleaded guilty.

On Aug. 12, 2022, Moreno Florez, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for illegally cultivating marijuana in a national forest and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that offense.

This case was the result of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Stefan Niels Weiste Kirkeby, 59, of San Rafael, charging him with domestic violence within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 4, 2022, Kirkeby and his wife got into a verbal confrontation that resulted in park visitors having to intervene due to the yelling as well as the threats of harm being made by Kirkeby. The victim reported she was forcibly grabbed by her wrist and both fell to the ground. Kirkeby was threatening to kill her then kill himself during the altercation. The victim sustained bruising, pain to her wrist, and scratches.

This case is the product of an investigation by the National Park Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.

If you have information related to this case, please submit a tip online, call 888-653-0009, or email nps_isb@nps.gov.

If convicted, Kirkeby 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. — Kevin Lee Co, 51, of Rocklin, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for wire fraud, money laundering and submitting false statements to a financial institution, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 8, 2016, Co pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering for embezzling approximately $4.8 million from his former employer, Holt of California. Co used the money he embezzled to purchase, among other things, luxury cars, home furniture, NFL football and NBA basketball season tickets, and approximately $1 million in purchases for the online video game “Game of War.”

While out of custody and awaiting sentencing on those charges, Co defrauded federally insured financial institutions by submitting false statements to qualify for loans that were part of the Paycheck Protection Program.

Co was the sole owner of Apollo HP Inc., a Rocklin-based company that sells generators, windows, and residential solar panels. Between April 2020 and January 2021, Co applied for and obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans for his company. The loan applications required him to disclose his pending criminal charges and guilty pleas. However, in his loan applications, Co concealed the fact that he had pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges in order to cause two banks to approve loans for his company. As a result of Co’s false statements, financial institutions suffered a total loss of $530,552.

This case was the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. —  Matthew Sheffield, 41, of Merced, was sentenced today to 60 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for his two convictions for sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

In addition, Sheffield was ordered to pay $100,200 in special assessments and $25,000 in restitution to each of two victims.

According to court documents, law enforcement agents first encountered sexually explicit material in February 2018, and through investigative work and assistance from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, ultimately identified Sheffield as the person responsible for creating and distributing the material on the internet. During the execution of a search warrant at Sheffield’s house, agents recognized unique objects that are depicted in the images he created. On Aug. 29, 2019, Sheffield was indicted and on March 21, 2022, he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Fresno and the FBI Child Exploitation Operational Unit in Linthicum, Maryland. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz 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. — A 28-count indictment was unsealed today, charging Terrance John “TJ” Cox, 59, of Fresno, with 15 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, one count of financial institution fraud, and one count of campaign contribution fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Cox perpetrated multiple fraud schemes targeting companies he was affiliated with and their clients and vendors. Cox created unauthorized off-the-books bank accounts and diverted client and company money into those accounts through false representations, pretenses and promises. From 2013 to 2018, across two different fraud schemes, Cox illicitly obtained over $1.7 million in diverted client payments and company loans and investments he solicited and then stole.

In addition, Cox received mortgage loan funds from a lender for a property purchase by submitting multiple false representations to the lender, including fabricated bank statements and false statements that Cox intended to live in the property as his primary residence. In fact, he intended to and did buy the property to rent it to someone else.

Cox also fraudulently obtained a $1.5 million construction loan to develop the recreation area in Fresno known as Granite Park. Cox and his business partner’s nonprofit could not qualify for the construction loan without a financially viable party guaranteeing the loan. Cox falsely represented that one of his affiliated companies would guarantee the loan, and submitted a fabricated board resolution which falsely stated that at a meeting on a given date all company owners agreed to guarantee the Granite Park loan. No meeting took place, and the other owners did not agree to back the loan. The loan later went into default causing a loss of more than $1.28 million.

According to the indictment, when Cox was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 election, he perpetrated a scheme to fund and reimburse family members and associates for donations to his campaign. Cox arranged for over $25,000 in illegal straw or conduit donations to his campaign in 2017.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS‑Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry Z. Carbajal III and Jeffrey A. Spivak are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Cox faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud and money laundering. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for wire fraud affecting a financial institution and financial institution fraud. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for campaign contribution fraud. 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. — Azizulah “Aziz” Kamali and his medical corporation, Aziz Kamali, M.D. Inc., have agreed to pay $1,963,953 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting millions of dollars of false claims to Medicare for surgically implanted neurostimulators and paying kickbacks to sales marketers, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.

According to the settlement, Dr. Kamali and his medical corporation admitted that they submitted claims to Medicare for surgically implanted neurostimulator devices even though they did not perform surgery or implant neurostimulators. Dr. Kamali and Kamali Inc. admitted that they instead taped a disposable electroacupuncture device called “Stivax” to their patients’ ears. Stivax devices do not require surgical implantation and are not reimbursable by Medicare. The government alleges that this conduct violated the False Claims Act.

“The defendants falsely claimed that they conducted expensive and invasive surgical procedures to dishonestly obtain millions of dollars from Medicare,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Working with our partners at the Department of Health and Human Services, we identified a substantial number of false claims that enabled our Office to make a significant recovery of taxpayer dollars.”

“This provider egregiously exploited the trust of his patients for illegitimate financial gain,” said Steven J. Ryan, Special Agent in Charge with the HHS-OIG. “HHS-OIG will not hesitate to investigate and thwart any attempts at defrauding federal health care programs.”

Dr. Kamali and his medical corporation also admitted that they paid a marketing company a percentage of the reimbursements they received from Medicare for billing implantable neurostimulators, in return for the marketing company arranging for and recommending that patients order Stivax from them. The United States alleges that this conduct violated the Anti‑Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.

In addition to paying the civil settlement, Dr. Kamali and Kamali Inc. have agreed to enter into an Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The Integrity Agreement requires that Dr. Kamali and Kamali Inc. implement specific compliance measures, including training on applicable health care fraud laws and contracting with an Independent Review Organization that will conduct third-party audits of the medical necessity of their Medicare claims.

HHS-OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Belz handled the case for the United States.

FRESNO, Calif. — David Moreno Florez, 28, of Taft, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 12 years in prison for illegally cultivating marijuana in a national forest and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that offense, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in July 2019, law enforcement officers located a clandestine marijuana grow site in Sequoia National Forest in Fresno County. On Aug. 2, 2019, officers hiked into the grow site, where they found and arrested Marino Cruz Diaz and Moreno Florez who was carrying a loaded, AR-15 style rifle. The grow contained over 2,400 marijuana plants, chemicals, fertilizers, chicken wire, irrigation lines, and man-made dams and water reservoirs that diverted water from nearby creeks. Moreno Florez pleaded guilty to the charges on April 22, 2022.

On May 27, 2022, Cruz Diaz pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 19, 2022.

The case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Raykheem Andrew Guthery, 30, of Vallejo, charging him with possession of ammunition as a felon and as the subject of a domestic violence protective order, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on June 9, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a vehicle stop on Guthery for driving a car without license plates. Guthery pretended to be someone else, claimed he was not on parole or probation, and denied being armed. In fact, Guthery was on probation for felony assault and had a firearm loaded with an extended magazine concealed on his person. Officers discovered the firearm during Guthery’s arrest. The firearm was a non-serialized, privately manufactured firearm, known as a “ghost gun.” It was loaded with one round of .40-caliber ammunition in the chamber and another 17 rounds in an extended magazine.

 Guthery is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he has been convicted of at least three felonies, including a 2016 felony conviction for forcible assault likely to cause grave bodily injury. He is also prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he is the subject of a domestic violence protective order issued on April 15, 2021, by the Superior Court of California, Solano County.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Guthery faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 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 a one-count indictment today against Brian Thomas Whitworth, 38, of Visalia, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, officers were investigating a vehicle theft reported by Whitworth, but upon reviewing his home’s surveillance footage, they saw that Whitworth had fired a rifle during the theft. Officers recovered a rifle matching the description of the rifle Whitworth was seen firing in the surveillance footage. In jail calls, Whitworth admitted to knowledge of the firearm and also discussed his gang membership. Whitworth was previously convicted of felonies, including assault with a deadly weapon and vehicle theft and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Visalia Police Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Jean Berger is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Whitworth faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 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. — Leslie Hood, 59, of Fresno, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 12 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in June 2016, Hood brought several packages to a FedEx location in Fresno for shipment to North Carolina. Inside of each package was a children’s toy that had a bag of methamphetamine concealed inside it. The total weight of actual methamphetamine seized from all packages was in excess of 200 grams.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Tierney and Jessica Massey prosecuted the case.

Hood has been in custody since his arrest in 2017. Co-defendant Richard Ormond was sentenced in April 2018 to 10 years in prison. Co-defendant Sharron Aycock was sentenced in March 2018 to three years in prison.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

FRESNO, Calif. — Isaiah Garcia, 20, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between Oct. 2, 2020, and Dec. 16, 2020, Isaiah Garcia and his brother, Mario Garcia, 28, who was incarcerated in the Fresno County Jail in an unrelated case, agreed that Isaiah Garcia would traffic fentanyl pills. The conspiracy was discovered when investigators listened to their recorded jail telephone calls. Federal agents then searched Isaiah Garcia’s residence and found over 1,200 fentanyl pills inside his bedroom.

The case is the result of an investigation by FORT, a multi-agency team composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.

Isaiah Garcia is set for sentencing on Oct. 31, 2022, and Mario Garcia is set for sentencing on Sept. 6, 2022. Both defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison up to a maximum sentence of 40 years and a fine up to $5 million. 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.

This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) 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. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.

Louis Torres, 37, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to seven years and seven months in prison for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Torres is a member of the Loma Bakers criminal street gang and goes by the moniker, “Youngster.” On July 23, 2021, Torres was driving a vehicle in Bakersfield that was stopped by police officers for traffic violations. After exiting his vehicle, Torres fled on foot, but was pursued and apprehended by police. After Torres was arrested, police officers discovered that he possessed methamphetamine and heroin that he intended to distribute to others. At the time of his arrest, Torres was under active court supervision for a burglary conviction and had a suspended driver’s license. Torres has more than 20 adult criminal convictions and in the last 15 years has violated the terms of his parole and court supervision approximately 22 times.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher D. Baker and Jessica Massey prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment that was unsealed today charging a former Sanger Police Department officer with deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law for sexually assaulting four women with whom he interacted during the course of his duties.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Dennis Guertin of the FBI Sacramento Field Office made the announcement.

According to the indictment, on multiple occasions from August 2017 to June 2021, J. Deshawn Torrence, 38, of Corcoran, California, engaged in various forms of nonconsensual sexual conduct, ranging from directing a victim to remove her clothing without a legitimate law enforcement purpose to committing aggravated sexual abuse, all while serving as a police officer. Torrence is no longer employed by the Sanger Police Department.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Sacramento Field Office with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold of the Criminal Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar are prosecuting the case.

Four of the charged counts alleged each carries a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. One count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison. The remaining five counts each carry a maximum statutory penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. 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.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Gildardo Perez Avilez, 38, of Stockton, charging him with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Perez Avilez’s residence and seized 83 pounds of methamphetamine packaged in 1-pound bags and 8,800 counterfeit oxycodone M-30 pills containing fentanyl.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Perez Avilez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life 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 defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Christian Flores, 25, of Stockton, charging him with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers conducted a search warrant at Flores’s residence in Stockton and seized 15 pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded handgun.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Flores faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. 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 effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kenneth Ray Hawkins, 47, formerly an inmate at the Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI), a California state prison in Tracy, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scheme to defraud California and the United States, including the California Employment Development Department (EDD), by the submission of fraudulent unemployment insurance claims, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

On May 13, 2021, a federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging Hawkins; Jacqueline Marie Marquez, 35, of Barstow and Las Vegas; Alyssa Marie Jones, 34, of Barstow and Las Vegas; and Ebony Chanel Jones, 21, of Barstow, with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud. On July 25, 2022, Hawkins was additionally charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, between June 2020 and January 2021, the four defendants conspired to execute and executed a scheme to defraud by filing fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with EDD, seeking Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits under the CARES Act. During the conspiracy, Hawkins, an inmate at DVI, collected personally identifiable information, including names and Social Security numbers, of California prison inmates and other individuals and used the identities and an unauthorized cellphone to submit dozens of the fraudulent claims from his jail cell. The claims represented, among other things, that the claimants had recently lost employment from businesses or were unable to find employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These claims were fraudulent because the inmates were incarcerated, not recently employed, and ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits.

In the applications, Hawkins requested that the benefits be mailed to various California and Nevada addresses that were under the control of one or more co-conspirators. EDD approved at least 60 of the fraudulent claims and authorized Bank of America to mail out EDD debit cards containing benefits. Marquez, Alyssa Jones, and Ebony Jones then obtained the EDD debit cards and used them to withdraw the benefits at ATMs throughout California and Nevada for the benefit of the conspirators. The scheme sought over $1 million and resulted in EDD paying out over $890,000.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Office of Correctional Safety, the DVI Investigative Services Unit, and the California Employment Development Department – Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Artuz is prosecuting the case.

Alyssa Jones, Ebony Jones and Marquez await sentencing after having also pleaded guilty to their participation in the scheme.

Hawkins is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24, 2022, by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb. Hawkins faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy and a mandatory, consecutive two-year prison term for aggravated identity theft. 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. — Eva Dolores Romero, 55, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between Dec. 1, 2020, and Jan. 26, 2021, Romero’s son was an inmate at the Fresno County Jail. Romero conspired with her son and others outside of jail to smuggle methamphetamine and heroin into the jail for distribution among inmates. The plot was unfoiled when law enforcement agents reviewed recorded jail calls and learned about the attempted smuggling set to occur on January 26. On that date, law enforcement intercepted an individual attempting to deliver athletic shoes to the jail for an inmate. The shoes were searched, and hidden compartments were found inside the shoes containing the illicit narcotics.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.

Romero is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Romero faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison up to a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a fine up to $5 million. 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. — A federal jury convicted Christopher Jeorge Millican, 28, of Coalinga, on Thursday for producing and receiving child pornography via the popular app, Snapchat, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents and evidence introduced during the trial, in July 2018, a parent reported to Snapchat that someone, later identified as Millican, had been engaging in inappropriate communications with an 11-year-old girl. Snapchat reviewed Millican’s account and discovered images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Snapchat reported the conduct to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which then contacted the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Fresno. Investigators identified several minors, and one of them testified at the trial that Millican had coerced her into creating and sending him sexually explicit images. At the time of the offense conduct, Millican was on active duty with the U.S. Navy.

“The conviction in this case means that the defendant will no longer be in a position to carry out his criminal acts against innocent and vulnerable children,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work tirelessly with its federal and local law enforcement partners to protect and seek justice for these young victims.”

“Safeguarding children from predators is a top priority for Homeland Security Investigations,” said HSI San Francisco/NorCal Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. “HSI is committed to working with local, state and federal partners to relentlessly pursue anyone involved in criminal behavior against children.”

This case is the product of an investigation by the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno Police Department, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Hanford Police Department, and several local police agencies across the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz are prosecuting the case.

Millican is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Oct. 24, 2022. Millican faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum prison term of 50 years. He also faces a potential $250,000 fine for each count and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. 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. — A federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment today against Jesus Iribe, 26, of Stockton, charging him with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Iribe was stopped by law enforcement officers and found to have a gun in his pocket and a kilogram of cocaine in his pickup truck. When a search warrant was executed at his house, more than 9 pounds of methamphetamine, a kilogram of cocaine, marijuana, counterfeit oxycodone M-30 pills, and five loaded guns were found. Iribe is prohibited from possessing firearms based on his prior felony convictions, which include drug and gun possession offenses.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Iribe faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life 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 defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb sentenced Deborah Laughlin, 66, of Magalia, today to 12 months in prison and ordered to pay $77,249 in restitution for making false statements in an application for FEMA benefits in connection with the 2018 Paradise Camp Fire, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, FEMA provided disaster benefits to certain qualified individuals whose primary residence was damaged or destroyed in the Camp Fire. On Nov. 15, 2018, Laughlin falsely claimed a mobile home at 7209 Skyway in Paradise as her primary residence at the time of the Camp Fire. In fact, at the time of the Camp Fire, other individuals were renting and residing in the mobile home located at this address. Based on her false statement, she received $7,886 to replace essential items damaged by the disaster and $1,788 for two months of rental assistance. In addition, Laughlin received temporary housing from FEMA in a manufactured home from approximately June 2019 until April 2021. The money and housing Laughlin received caused an actual loss to the United States of at least $77,249.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley D. Weger prosecuted the case.

Members of the public who suspect fraud involving disaster relief efforts, including California wildfires or COVID-19 relief efforts, or who believe they have been a victim of fraud from a person or organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of disaster victims, should contact the National Disaster Fraud Hotline toll free at (866) 720-5721. Alternatively, information can be submitted via email to DHSOIGHotline@dhs.gov.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Arturo Pacheco, 40, of Elk Grove, pleaded guilty today to criminal civil rights violations for the on‑duty assault of two inmates entrusted to his care and to submitting false reports about those incidents in an attempt to cover them up, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Pacheco was a correctional officer at California State Prison, Sacramento (CSP-Sacramento). On September 15, 2016, while escorting an inmate, Pacheco grabbed the legs of the inmate, pulling the legs out from under him. The inmate, whose hands were handcuffed behind his back, fell forward onto the concrete floor, breaking his jaw, several teeth, and suffering other injuries. That inmate was transported to UC Davis Medical Center where he received treatment for his injuries. Approximately two days later, the inmate suffered a pulmonary embolism and died. While the inmate was receiving treatment, Pacheco, a sergeant, and other correctional officers began falsifying reports to cover up the incident.

Following the death of the inmate, investigators uncovered a second incident involving Pacheco. In that incident, on May 19, 2016, Pacheco had, unprovoked, discharged a canister of pepper spray at short range into the eyes of an inmate who was inside of a prison cell. Pacheco falsified his report in that case to make it appear as though his actions were justified in order to save the life of the inmate. In reality, the inmate was fully complying with commands, and any use of force at that time was unlawful.

As outlined in the factual basis to his plea agreement, Pacheco sent text messages to a friend after the May 2016 incident, commenting how “funny” the incident was and “[i]t’s all about how u write ur report”, “plus ur partners have ur back.” As Pacheco said, “[b]lood, broken glass, n just u n ur partners. … Green light!”

“Pacheco deprived inmates of their civil rights, abusing his position of authority as a correctional officer to harm them,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “While Pacheco thought a ‘green wall’ or code of silence would protect him, he was wrong. His crimes have come to light and today he has admitted to his assaults and cover up. Those who violate the public’s trust by harming inmates ‘under the color of law’ or by covering up wrongdoing must and will be held accountable.”

“The FBI is deeply committed to protecting the rights of all Americans, and those rights do not stop behind the walls of our prisons,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Dennis Guertin. “Today’s guilty plea is the result of an intensive investigation conducted by the FBI and our partners at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the United States Attorney’s Office. Corruption and civil rights violations within our prisons are some of the most difficult to detect and investigate, and we encourage anyone who has knowledge of similar crimes to reach out to any FBI field office or submit information to tips.fbi.gov.”

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the cooperation of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Internal Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Anderson and Rosanne L. Rust are prosecuting the case.

Pacheco remains out of custody pending sentencing. Fellow former California State Prison, Sacramento correctional officer, Ashley M. Aurich, charged separately, is pending sentencing as well.

Pacheco is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on October 17, 2022. Pacheco faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison on each of the false reporting counts and 10 years in prison on each of the assault counts and a $250,000 fine per count. 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. — David Delgado Gonzalez, 38, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to 13 years and nine months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

In addition, Gonzalez was ordered to forfeit three firearms and associated ammunition that were in his possession when he was arrested.

According to court documents, between September 2020 and March 2021, Gonzalez (also known as “Spider”) conspired with, among others, co-defendant Omar Alberto Navarro to acquire methamphetamine in Mexico, transport it to the Eastern District of California, unload the narcotics from “load cars,” store the narcotics, and sell and distribute the narcotics to others. For instance, on Oct. 29, 2020, at the behest of Navarro, Gonzalez transported approximately 6 pounds of methamphetamine to a meeting in Bakersfield and sold the methamphetamine to Scott Gordon James, who is charged in a related case, for $6,200. On March 26, 2021, Gonzalez possessed in a storage unit in Bakersfield approximately four pounds of methamphetamine, which he possessed with the intent to distribute to others.

In 2009, Gonzalez was convicted and sentenced in U.S. District Court – Southern District of Ohio, for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin.

On April 8, 2021, Gonzalez and eight other defendants were charged in three related indictments for trafficking and purchasing to sell methamphetamine from a conspiracy orchestrated by Navarro, 38, of Arvin. The other charged defendants are: Daniel Armendariz Mercado, 42; Miguel Angel Martinez, 27; Amayrani Jared Arreguin, 25; and Yvette Gallegos, 23, all of Bakersfield; Lizette Mendez, 32, of Delano; and James Scott Gordon, 47, of Chico. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Co-defendant Randal Jason Newell was sentenced on March 29, 2022, to three years and three months in prison for attempting to smuggle approximately 111 pounds of methamphetamine from Mexico to Bakersfield.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the Shafter Police Department, the Kern County Probation Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher D. Baker and Laura J. Berger are prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

FRESNO, Calif. — Maria Delgado, 31, of Culiacán, Mexico, was sentenced today to four years in prison for her participation in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Delgado delivered 1,350 fentanyl pills to an undercover officer in exchange for $9,500. She also received 2.2 pounds of heroin in Los Angeles for distribution in Porterville.

Another member of the conspiracy, James Cox, 58, of Porterville, pleaded guilty today to participating in the drug conspiracy. According to court documents, Cox and another individual received over a pound of methamphetamine in two separate transactions from co-defendant Renato Aguilera, 30, of Porterville. Aguilera has pleaded guilty to participating in the drug conspiracy and was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.

Cox is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Cox faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a $10 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.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Porterville Police Department, the Coalinga Police Department, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an 11-count indictment today against Heidy Isabel Torres Lopez, 40, of Stockton; Cesar Mag Rodriguez Hernandez, 23, of Stockton; and Marco Antonio Sanchez Garcia, 37, of Modesto, charging them with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of cocaine, distribution of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, cocaine base, and marijuana, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Lopez, Hernandez, and Garcia distributed methamphetamine and cocaine to a confidential informant working for law enforcement. In total, the group attempted to sell over 13 pounds of methamphetamine and 3.7 pounds of cocaine.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, all three defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life 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.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley sentenced Ou Vern Saeteurn, 26, of Sacramento, to 12 years in prison today for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Sept. 6, 2018, law enforcement agents searched Saeteurn’s Oak Park home and found controlled substances or firearms in almost every room. In Saeteurn’s bedroom closet, agents found about 1 kilogram of methamphetamine and about 1 kilogram of cocaine. They also found two loaded firearms, additional ammunition, and about $9,400 in cash. In the rest of this home, officers found more methamphetamine, cocaine base, heroin, opium, about 16 firearms, magazines, and ammunition.

Saeteurn pleaded guilty on Feb. 3, 2022.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Sacramento Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael M. Beckwith prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley sentenced Liana Karapetyan, 42, of El Dorado Hills, today to 18 months in prison for one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Karapetyan and her husband, Akop Atoyan, owned and controlled home health care and hospice agencies in the greater Sacramento area: ANG Health Care Inc., Excel Home Healthcare Inc., and Excel Hospice Inc. On behalf of the agencies, Karapetyan and Atoyan certified to Medicare that they would not pay kickbacks in exchange for Medicare beneficiary referrals to the agencies.

Despite their certifications, from at least July 2015 through April 2019, Karapetyan and Atoyan paid and directed others to pay kickbacks to multiple individuals for beneficiary referrals, including employees of health care facilities, as well as employees’ spouses. The kickback recipients included John Eby, a registered nurse who worked for a hospital in Sacramento; Anita Vijay, the director of social services at a skilled nursing and assisted living facility in Sacramento; Jai Vijay, Anita Vijay’s husband; and Mariela Panganiban, the director of social services at a skilled nursing facility in Roseville.

In total, Karapetyan, Atoyan, and others caused the agencies to submit over 8,000 claims to Medicare for the cost of home health care and hospice services. Based on those claims, Medicare paid the agencies approximately $31 million. Of that amount, Medicare paid the agencies at least $2 million for services purportedly provided to beneficiaries referred in exchange for kickbacks paid to, among others, Eby, Anita Vijay, Jai Vijay, and Panganiban. Because the agencies obtained the beneficiary referrals by paying kickbacks, the agencies should not have received any Medicare reimbursement.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen prosecuted the case.

In separate cases, Atoyan, Eby, Jai Vijay, Anita Vijay, and Panganiban pleaded guilty for their roles in the kickback scheme. They await sentencing.

Glenn County Man Indicted for Being a Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Erick S. Perez, 34, of Orland, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. 

According to court documents, on April 1, 2021, Perez was found to be in possession of 26 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, which was loaded into two “ghost guns.” Ghost guns do not contain serial numbers and are sold without background checks, making them difficult to trace and easy to acquire. Perez is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he was previously convicted of four felonies, including a 2021 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Glenn County Investigations and Narcotics Task Force, the Orland Police Department, and the Glenn County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily G. Sauvageau is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Perez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 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 being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Reginald Lamont Thomas, 47, of Fairfield, pleaded guilty today to nine counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between April 2018 and September 2019, Thomas used a victim’s personally identifiable information (PII) to take over the victim’s checking and savings account at Wells Fargo. Thomas convinced Wells Fargo representatives to change the address information on the victim’s Wells Fargo accounts to an address associated with Thomas and to ship a new debit card to Thomas at the new address. Thomas then used the debit card to make various unauthorized transactions, including buying a used car at a dealership in Solano County and paying for a subscription to the dating service Plenty of Fish. In total, Thomas incurred approximately $112,874 in debit card charges. All of the conduct in this case occurred while Thomas was on a term of federal supervised release.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise N. Yasinow and Roger Yang are prosecuting the case.

Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Oct. 25, 2022. For the bank fraud counts, Thomas faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. For the aggravated identity theft count, he faces a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison and a fine of up to $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.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dezmaighne McClain, 31, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to 10 years in prison for three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

On April 6, 2022, a federal jury found McClain guilty on all three counts after a two-day trial.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on July 15, 2019, while on felony parole, McClain sold a firearm to an individual within minutes of meeting the person at the parole office. McClain sold the same individual another firearm on July 30, 2019, and continued to discuss potential firearms sales after that date. Evidence at trial showed that McClain also sold guns to others while on parole, both before and after the July 15 sale. McClain is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based on his prior felony convictions, which include robbery, assault, possessing a controlled substance for sale, and illegal possession of a firearm.

During a search of McClain’s residence, agents found more firearms, ammunition, and an AR‑15-style “ghost gun” hidden in the garage. Ghost guns do not contain serial numbers and are sold without background checks, making them difficult to trace and easy to acquire by criminals.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michele Beckwith and Audrey Hemesath prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment Thursday against Roderick Rigmaiden, 37, and his wife Onjale Nettles, 32, both of Sacramento, charging them with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Rigmaiden is also charged with possession of stolen mail and possession of mail keys or locks.

According to court documents, Rigmaiden was in possession of stolen mail and mail keys or locks. From the stolen mail, Rigmaiden and Nettles then created fake identification cards showing the faces of Rigmaiden, Nettles, and other conspirators, but bearing the names and information of individuals whose identities had been stolen. Rigmaiden and Nettles used the stolen identities to purchase multiple vehicles from auto dealerships and obtain financing for those purchases. The vehicle purchases were typically accomplished by providing a down payment in the form of cash or an instrument that purported to be a check, cashier’s check, or other monetary instrument, and the remainder of the purchase price was secured by an auto loan. Typically, however, the monetary instrument presented for the down payment turned out to be fraudulent and no payments were ever made towards the auto loans.

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

If convicted, Rigmaiden and Nettles face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million for each count of mail fraud and a mandatory two-year sentence consecutive to  any sentence imposed for aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Rigmaiden further faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for possession of stolen mail, and a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine for possession of a mail key or lock. 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.

FRESNO, Calif. — Jose Garcia-Zamora, 30, of Modesto, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to eight years and four months in prison for illegally cultivating marijuana in the Stanislaus National Forest and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that offense, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in July 2019, law enforcement agents found a large marijuana grow that contained over 2,600 marijuana plants. At the grow site, agents encountered Garcia-Zamora. He had been tending to the marijuana and was carrying a loaded pistol. On April 1, 2022, Garcia-Zamora pleaded guilty to the charges.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Stockton residents Jose Curiel, 35, and Roberto Tostado-Cadenas, 43, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Curiel and Cadenas arranged to sell 115 pounds of methamphetamine to a law enforcement informant. Curiel and Cadenas met with the informant at a public parking lot in Stockton. They told the informant that they had staged the methamphetamine in different cars located in the parking lot. Prior to the drug transaction being completed, law enforcement stopped three of the cars in Curiel’s entourage. Inside of one of the vehicle, law enforcement found 37 pounds of methamphetamine.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, both defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life 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.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Gary Wayne Stuckey, 56, of Stockton, charging him with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of ammunition, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of Stuckey’s vehicle and observed several pounds of marijuana, plastic baggies, and digital scales on the floorboard of the vehicle. They also found a Polymer 80 handgun (a “ghost gun,” an assembled weapon lacking a serial number) wedged in between the driver’s seat and center console, later determined to contain six rounds of ammunition.  Stuckey is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions, including a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of ammunition. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered over a pound of methamphetamine, as well as cocaine and ecstasy.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Stockton Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of the drug charge, Stuckey faces a minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine. If convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition charge, Stuckey faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and $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 being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.