Local News

Fresno Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for Investment Fraud, Bank Fraud, and Tax Evasion

FRESNO — Kenneth Shane Patterson, 44, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to five years and six months in prison and ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution for wire fraud, bank fraud, and evading the payment of taxes, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Patterson convinced a small business owner to give him more than $1 million over approximately 31 months so that Patterson could acquire a skilled nursing facility in Pasadena. Patterson promised to then sell the facility to the business owner at below market value. Patterson told the business owner that he needed the money to clear liens and pay other expenses so the deal would close. In reality, Patterson never actually intended to buy the facility and instead spent the money on unrelated business expenses and his own gambling.

Federal Grand Jury Charges 18, Including the “M30 King of Fresno” and His Fentanyl Trafficking Ring

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a 21-count indictment Thursday against 18 individuals, charging them with illegally trafficking fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, methamphetamine, and cocaine as well as illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Horacio Torrecillas Urias Jr., 22, of Fresno, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl (two counts), conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, and distribution of fentanyl.

Former Westside Water District Boss Indicted for $25 Million Water Theft and Tax Violations

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment today against Dennis Falaschi, 75, of Aptos, California, charging him with conspiracy, theft of government property, and filing false tax returns, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Falaschi was the general manager for a public water district in Fresno and Merced Counties near the communities of Dos Palos, Firebaugh, and Los Banos. He exploited a leak in the Delta-Mendota Canal and engineered a way to steal over $25 million in federally owned water.

Redding Woman Agrees to Plead Guilty to Lying to Federal Agents Regarding Kidnapping and Defrauding the Victim

SACRAMENTO - A Redding woman has signed a plea agreement admitting that she planned and participated in her own hoax kidnapping and agreeing to plead guilty to making materially false statements to FBI agents about the circumstances of her disappearance and committing mail fraud based on her being a kidnapping victim, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.

Sherri Papini, 39, of Redding, was charged in a criminal information filed today in the U.S. District Court with thirty-four counts of mail fraud and one count of making false statements. In a plea agreement, also filed today, Papini agreed to plead guilty to a single count of mail fraud and one count of making false statements. Papini was arrested on March 3 based on a criminal complaint filed that day.

Fresno Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Prison for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography

FRESNO - Steven Dale Jones, 43, of Fresno, was sentenced today to 11 and a half years in prison by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd for receipt and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

The sentence imposed includes a term of supervised release of 20 years during which Jones’s access to minors, computers, and the internet will be restricted. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. The court has scheduled a hearing for June 27, 2022, to address restitution to victims.