News

Fresno Code Enforcement and State Raid Exclusive Golf Club Discovering Elaborate Illegal Marijuana Operation

FRESNO – On Thursday morning, the City Attorney’s Office Code Enforcement Division, California Department of Tax and Fee, and State of California Department of Cannabis Control jointly served a search warrant at AOA Private Golf Club.

The business is an upscale private golf club near the Fresno Yosemite International Airport. During the search, thousands of dollars worth of illegal cannabis, cannabis products, and paraphernalia were discovered. The illegal operation appears to have been ongoing for a significant time.

Madera Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

SACRAMENTO - Elias Hernandez-Valencia, 48, a Mexican national residing in Madera, was sentenced Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between May 22, 2018, and August 8, 2018, Hernandez-Valencia and others were part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. As part of this conspiracy, Hernandez-Valencia directed deliveries of methamphetamine to others within the drug trafficking organization (DTO) and remitted the proceeds from the drug sales to the head of the DTO, a person known as “Tio” (or “Uncle”).

U.S. Attorney’s Office Reports Over $169 Million in Civil and Criminal Collections in Fiscal Year 2023

SACRAMENTO - U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today that criminal and civil matters handled by the Eastern District of California in Fiscal Year 2023 resulted in collections totaling $169,209,799.

Of this amount, the Eastern District of California directly collected $52,209,799. This included more than $11.6 million in criminal actions and more than $40.5 million in civil actions. Additionally, the Eastern District of California worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $2,181,933 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. More than $32,000 was collected in criminal actions, and more than $2.1 million was collected in civil actions.

Mother and Daughter Team Plead Guilty in COVID-19 Related Jailhouse Unemployment Insurance Fraud

FRESNO - Makiah Miles, 30, of Compton, and Apryl Weston, 51, of Santa Maria, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit mail fraud for submitting fraudulent unemployment insurance claims to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) in the names of inmates, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Miles was an inmate at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, and Weston is her mother. From June through December 2020, Miles obtained other inmates’ names, dates of birth, and social security numbers and sent that information to Weston to submit claims in those inmates’ identities, as well as Miles’ own identity. The underlying applications misrepresented that Miles and the other inmates worked as childcare providers, cosmetologists, hairdressers, and other occupations, that they last worked within the prior few months and recently became unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that they were currently available to work. The fraudulent claims were worth nearly $250,000.

Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Passport Fraud by Assuming the Identity of a Deceased Child

FRESNO - Kenneth Laitman, aka John Rodman, 79, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to passport fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 1984, Laitman left his job as a stockbroker in New York and moved to California, where he assumed the identity of John Rodman and worked at an endoscopy practice. The actual John Rodman died in 1950 at the age of four.

Mexican National Sentenced for Bakersfield-Based Methamphetamine Ring

FRESNO - Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 38, a Mexican national residing in Arvin, was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in March 2021, Gomez delivered 26 pounds of methamphetamine to co-defendants Jorge Calderon-Campos, 42, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, and Mark Garcia, 23, of Bakersfield. Law enforcement officers later seized the drug from Garcia’s vehicle during a traffic stop. This transaction was one of many transactions involving Calderon-Campos, who was the target of a wiretap investigation that resulted in the seizure of more than 86 pounds of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of heroin.

Central Valley Corporate Insider Pleads Guilty to Stealing Nearly $5 Million in Livestock Feed Ingredients

FRESNO - Shawn Sawa, 47, formerly of Clovis, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in stealing millions of dollars worth of canola from international food processors. Canola is commonly used to make livestock feed.

According to court documents, from 2015 through 2017, Sawa and Richard Best stole $4.8 million worth of canola from the food processors. They then sold the canola for a windfall. Sawa and Best carried out the scheme through Best’s now-defunct train-to-truck transloading company, Richard Best Transfer Inc. (RBT).