Local News

DC Solar Owner Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Billion Dollar Ponzi Scheme

SACRAMENTO - An owner of DC Solar, a Benicia-based company, was sentenced today for a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme— the biggest criminal fraud scheme in the history of the Eastern District of California, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez sentenced Jeff Carpoff, 50, of Martinez, to 30 years in prison. On Jan. 24, 2020, Carpoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. His wife, Paulette Carpoff, 47, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and money laundering. The government’s investigation has resulted in approximately $120 million in assets forfeited that the government intends to seek authorization to use towards restitution to victims of the fraud.

Kings County Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing $87,000 in Social Security Benefits

FRESNO - Deborah Rossoni, 58, of Lemoore, pleaded guilty today to stealing $87,000 in Social Security payments and agreed to pay full restitution to the Social Security Administration, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in July 2012, Rossoni’s father passed away, but the SSA was not notified of his death and continued direct depositing Social Security payments into his bank account until July 2018. During this time, Rossoni transferred the payments into her own bank accounts and then used the money for personal expenditures, including credit card bills and house repairs.

Sugar Pine Smokehouse to be Torn Down for In-n-Out Burger

MADERA – What do you do if two restaurants with similar concepts fail within three years of each other in the same location? If you are the management team behind The Commons Shopping Center at the Madera Fair Grounds, Newman Development Group, you tear down the building and turn to In-n-Out Burgers. Within the next six months, the Sugar Pine Smokehouse Restaurant will be leveled to the ground. In its place, the home of the California iconic Double-Double Cheeseburger will rise from the rubble.

Rumors have been floating around Madera for months about where the new In-n-Out Burgers would end up in Madera. It was even a topic in a recent Town Hall meeting that aired on www.BVNRadio.com and streamed on The Valley Guy's Podcast on Spotify. During the Town Hall, the Director of the Madera County Economic Development Commission, Bobby Kahn, could not give much information, sighting that he was (at that time) under a non-disclosure agreement with the Baldwin Park-based burger company. However, Kahn did say that he expected an In-n-Out to open in Madera sometime within the 2022-23 time-frames. But today, new information came out of Madera City Hall. According to Madera City Manager Arnoldo Rodriguez, "In-n-Out has submitted plans for a new building where the existing Sugar Pine Smokehouse is located."

Atwater PD is Investigating its 3rd Homicide of the Year

ATWATER - Early Saturday morning, the Atwater Police Department responded to the 1000 block of Juniper on the report of a shooting. Officers arrived to find a Hispanic male victim with multiple gunshot wounds at the location. Officers and EMS attempted lifesaving activities. The victim was declared dead at the scene.

The victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. An autopsy is pending. Officers are looking for two suspects who left the scene in an unknown type of sedan. The motive for the shooting is under investigation.

Four Arrests for Three Separate Cases of Possession and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

MADERA - The Madera County Sheriff’s Department received information from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) through the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) regarding multiple instances of possession and distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery (CSAI) that was uploaded to the internet in Madera County.

MCSO Detectives immediately initiated an investigation. In one case, detectives discovered that not only were CSAI images being uploaded to the internet, the suspects were also attempting to extort the child victim by various means. In October 2021, two 14-year-old male juveniles were arrested and booked into the Madera County Juvenile Hall for several felony charges including possession and distribution of CSAI, distribution of harmful matter to a known person, and stalking.