Local News

FRESNO - Ray Brewer, 66, of Porterville, and Sheridan, Montana, was sentenced today to six years and nine months in prison for running a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme where he purported to turn cow manure into green energy, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, from March 2014 through December 2019, Brewer stole $8,750,000 from investors by claiming to build anaerobic digesters on dairies in Fresno, Kern, Kings, and Tulare Counties, as well as other counties in California and Idaho. Anaerobic digesters are large machines that use microorganisms to break down biodegradable material and turn it into methane. The methane can then be sold on the open market as green energy.

MADERA – The Internet went wild this last weekend when the Madera Tribune falsely published an editorial comment about a public hearing at an upcoming Madera County Board of Supervisors meeting regarding a fee increase in the Assessors Office.

The post appeared on the newspaper’s Instagram page inviting the general public to comment on the fee increase with the hashtag #NoMore. It caused several homeowners to believe that either their property taxes were increasing or fee increases would affect their properties in the county. In reality, the assessor’s fees that will be discussed at the July 11^th meeting have nothing to do with property taxes and will not cost the county property owners one dime.

SQUAW VALLEY - Saturday afternoon, dispatchers with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a property owner on Mistletoe Lane, near Ennis Road in Squaw Valley. The caller said a man was trespassing, acting strange, and refusing to leave. The suspect attempted to contact two other property owners who saw his behavior as erratic, making them feel as though he presented a danger to them and possibly himself.

A deputy arrived on the scene and saw the suspect speaking to a woman holding a shovel in case she needed to defend herself. As the deputy tried to contact the suspect, he kept his hands inside his sweatshirt pockets. The deputy gave him commands to show his hands, but he would not. Instead, he charged the deputy, running straight toward him. The deputy fired multiple shots at the suspect, striking him. The deputy then approached to detain and provide medical aid to the suspect. At this time, the suspect told him he had a gun.

FRESNO  -  Jatinbhai Naresh Bhakta, 31, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to 4 years in prison and ordered to pay a forfeiture money judgment of over $1 million for using a facility of interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents in 2015, Bhakta purchased and began operating the Desert Star Motel at 516 South Union Avenue in Bakersfield. Bhakta lived in a unit at the motel. Co‑defendant Roy Gene Drees, 45, also lived at the motel and was employed as a handyman and general manager.  During Bhakta’s ownership from at least 2018 to 2020, the Desert Star primarily catered to prostitutes and their actual and potential clients.