BAKERSFIELD - On Thursday, a superseding indictment was brought against Noel Carter, 45, of Bakersfield, adding charges of bank fraud and making a false statement on a loan application, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. On September 14, 2017, Carter was charged in an indictment for conspiring with Bakersfield Police Department officers Damacio Diaz and Patrick Mara to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana that Diaz and Mara seized in the course of their duties as police officers.
The superseding indictment re-alleges that from April 2012 to August 2015, Carter conspired with Diaz and Mara who deliberately failed to submit the seized drugs into the BPD evidence room, and instead provided the stolen narcotics to Carter so Carter could sell those narcotics for profit. The indictment also alleges that Mara took marijuana and provided it to Carter to process so it was suitable for sale. Finally, the indictment alleges that Carter conspired with Mara to unlawfully manufacture, process, and sell marijuana for profit.
Supreme Court: States Can Collect Sales Tax from Online Retailers without Physical Presence
IRVINE -- In a 5-4 vote on June 21, 2018, the United States Supreme Court narrowly ruled in favor of letting states collect sales tax from online retailers. Prior to the ruling, South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., et al. (2018), it was necessary to establish a physical presence in a state before requiring businesses to collect and remit sales tax. Proponents say the ruling will help state governments increase revenues, but opponents argue that consumers and online retailers will be harmed, particularly small merchants like sole proprietors.
Continuing, Justice Kennedy noted potential shortcomings in the former system: a product of Quill Corporation v. North Dakota (1992) and National Bellas Hess v. Department of Revenue (1967), which stood as precedent for decades – until Thursday morning. The precedents established by these cases, Kennedy wrote, effectively made "a judicially created tax shelter" – that is, a strategy to minimize tax liabilities – "for businesses that decide to limit their physical presence and still sell their goods and services to a state's consumers." Indicating that small businesses – upon which Justice Roberts warned the "burden [would] fall disproportionately" – could "seek relief" on a case-by-case basis.
City of Madera Aims to Stimulate Local Building Activity with Newly Proposed Incentive Programs
MADERA - – Drafts of three new development incentive programs were released today by city officials intended to bolster interest from developers and investors seeking new opportunities in the City of Madera.
The release of the new programs comes after a City Council subcommittee comprised of councilmembers Will Oliver, Charles Rigby, and Jose Rodriguez organized a series of meetings with community groups to identify ways the City could make it easier for property owners and builders to invest in Madera, describing their desire to allow property owners and developers to invest more dollars into their properties and less into City permit fees, with the intent that the community gains in the long run with increased employment and tax revenues.
Calif. Appeals Court Suspends Lower Court Ruling, Reinstates End of Life Option Act
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A California appeals court today granted emergency motions by the two terminally ill adults and a physician represented by Compassion & Choices for an "automatic stay" to immediately suspend a lower court's judgment invalidating the End of Life Option Act. The appeals court also granted a motion by Attorney General Xavier Becerra for a "discretionary stay" of the lower court ruling. The rulings reinstate the law, effective immediately.
Similar to laws in Washington, D.C. and six states, the California law gives mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live the option to request prescription medication they can decide to take to end unbearable suffering and die peacefully in their sleep.
Stockton Man Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering
SACRAMENTO - Raeef Ohan Ohan, 59, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property related to a series of cargo thefts, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, from 2012 to 2014, Ohan received and possessed thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen goods that had been stolen from truck trailers or warehouses. Ohan then sold the stolen goods to legitimate wholesalers and retail entities through his company called “V&P Trading.”
Ohan failed to accurately report to the Internal Revenue Service and the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) the income he received from this criminal activity, as well as income received by other means. As part of his plea agreement, Ohan agreed to pay restitution to the victims of the cargo thefts, as well as to the IRS and FTB.
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