News

FRESNO  -  Jonathan Gallegos, 32, of Ivanhoe, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana and using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, the charges arose from a long-term investigation that uncovered evidence of a scheme involving the trade of illegal drugs sourced in Mexico and California for firearms sourced in Texas. In 2021, a team of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers partnered to investigate the Tulare County Surenos Street Gang. Part of the investigation focused on Gallegos and his associates, who were involved in shipping illegal drugs and firearms across state lines.

FRESNO  -  Sarah Jo Sumpter, 30, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to one count of mail fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between November 2019 and January 2020, Sumpter stole mail from a number of locations in California and used the stolen mail to commit multiple identity theft-related fraud schemes.

FRESNO -  Andres Nunez, 25, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to distributing fentanyl to a person under 21 years old and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in February 2021, Nunez delivered counterfeit M30 pills laced with fentanyl to a juvenile. A search warrant was later executed at Nunez’s residence. During the search, law enforcement officers found several firearms, including an automatic handgun, and 4 pounds of marijuana that Nunez possessed with intent to distribute.

SACRAMENTO  -  Patrick Botello, 36, of Richmond, was sentenced today to 11 years and three months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Botello and another inmate incarcerated at California’s Pelican Bay State Prison arranged with four people outside the prison to obtain methamphetamine and heroin, conceal the drugs within balloons, and then smuggle the drugs into the prison.

FRESNO  -   Brian Zamora, 30, of Fresno, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to four years in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, officers stopped the car Zamora was traveling in after learning that he was a wanted parolee-at-large and had been spotted in the area. Officers found Zamora’s loaded AR-style “ghost gun” without a serial number and 30-round magazine concealed in a duffle bag in the car. Zamora is a felon, so he is prohibited from possessing both firearms and ammunition.

FRESNO -  Carson Shane Wilhite, 43, of Ahwahnee, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Wilhite has agreed to pay $46,680 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for the damage sustained to the environment as a result of his marijuana cultivation activities. According to court documents, Wilhite was involved in a marijuana cultivation operation at his residence on private land in the Carter Creek watershed drainage network in the Sierra National Forest and on public land adjacent to the residence.