Local News

Bakersfield Relatives Plead Guilty to Fraud Schemes

FRESNO - Charles Abieanga, 31, Viviana Cervantes, 23, and Simon Abieanga, 28, all of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to separate fraud charges, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Charles Abieanga and Viviana Cervantes, husband and wife, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for their roles in two different fraud schemes.

The first scheme involved submitting false claims to the California Employment Development Department and obtaining benefits associated with those claims. The second scheme involved impersonating a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) and defrauding hospitals by selling non-existent medical supplies, including surgical gowns and N-95 protective masks. Charles Abieanga also pleaded guilty separately to a scheme involving the sale of non-existent pets, horses, and vehicles to victims online. Charles Abieanga and Viviana Cervantes’s conduct caused actual losses of over $210,000.

Tulare County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug Charges

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 Woman Pleaded Guilty to Two Separate Identity Theft-Related Fraud Schemes

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 Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl Pills and Possessing a Firearm

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.

State Prison Inmate Sentenced to 11 Years for Smuggling Methamphetamine into Pelican Bay

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.