Local News

Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting over 100 Pounds of Methamphetamine

FRESNO - Randal Jason Newell, 41, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 5, 2020, Newell drove from Bakersfield to Mexico to obtain and smuggle narcotics from Mexico to Bakersfield, which he agreed to do for $7,000. On Dec. 7, 2020, Newell drove to the San Ysidro port of entry crossing from Mexico into the United States. Law enforcement officers inspected Newell’s vehicle at the border crossing and discovered approximately 98 packages containing approximately 111 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the vehicle’s gas tank, the rear compartment wall, the driver- and passenger-side exterior frame pillars, and underneath the floor.

Ceres Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Run an Animal Fighting Operation

FRESNO - Joseph D. Sanford, 74, of Ceres, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act by operating cockfighting and fighting-bird breeding business, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Sanford was the owner and operator of Joe Sanford Gamefarm in Ceres, where he bred and sold gamecocks for cockfighting.

Sanford also fought his own roosters. Following an undercover purchase of a trio of fighting game birds, federal agents searched Joe Sanford Gamefarm, where Sanford resides and found a large cockfighting enterprise consisting of 2,956 game fowl. In pleading guilty, Sanford acknowledged that he had shipped game fowl within the United States and to Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines for cockfighting.

Madera Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Identity Theft

FRESNO - Leah Guillen, 39, of Madera, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in early 2018, Guillen obtained the name, social security account number, and date of birth of an individual.

Guillen then used this information to impersonate her and fraudulently gain access to her bank accounts at Golden 1 Credit Union. Using an unauthorized debit card, Guillen drained the victim’s bank accounts over a three-month period between April 18, 2018, and June 30, 2018, causing a loss in excess of $210,449.

Stockton Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Child

SACRAMENTO - Angel Jesus Sanchez-Manriquez, 22, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 11 years and three months in prison for sex trafficking of a child, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, between October and December 2020, Sanchez-Manriquez posted approximately 70 advertisements on a website, each of which contained photos of a 16‑year-old victim, advertising the victim’s availability to perform commercial sex acts. Sanchez-Manriquez referred to the victim as his “Snow Bunny.”

Sanchez-Manriquez rented motel rooms in and around the Stockton area in which the victim performed commercial sex acts. After executing search warrants, law enforcement agents learned that Sanchez-Manriquez also used his cellphone to take photographs and record videos of the victim engaged in sex acts with adults, including Sanchez-Manriquez.

Hanford Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Manufacturing and Distributing Machine Guns

FRESNO - Jose Moreno, 26, of Hanford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to three years and one month in prison for illegally distributing a machine gun, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on May 22, 2019, Moreno sold a machine gun to an individual in a parking lot in Hanford. Shortly after the meeting, the individual departed in his car and law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop. During a search of the car, officers found a fully automatic handgun with two 16-round magazines. Moreno’s involvement in this machine gun sale and several others was uncovered during a months-long wiretap investigation into the Nuestra Familia Prison Gang operating in Kings and Tulare Counties. The investigation revealed that Moreno was manufacturing and selling machine guns to street gang members.