Local News

Fresno Woman Charged with COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Benefits Fraud

FRESNO - A federal grand jury brought a six-count indictment against Cecilia Aquino, 34, of Fresno, today charging her with mail fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft for submitting unemployment insurance claims and applications for Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury and Disaster Loans using stolen identities, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from June through November 2020, Aquino submitted unemployment benefit claims in at least seven states and at least four loan applications that contained misrepresentations. She claimed that the named individuals last worked as self‑employed dancers and owned interior design businesses and that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they lost their jobs and business revenue, respectively.

Modesto Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

FRESNO - Anthony Rodriguez, aka Anthony Rito Lara, 34, of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in September and October 2020, Rodriguez used a cellphone to create approximately 49 videos and 51 images of a child under 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Rodriguez distributed some of these videos over the internet, including one video in which he engages in a sex act with the child.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Modesto Police Department, and assistance was provided by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Alexandre M. Dempsey are prosecuting the case.

High-Ranking Nuestra Familia Gang Member Sentenced to 17.5 Years for Drug Trafficking Inside Pleasant Valley State Prison

FRESNO - Salvador Castro Jr., 51, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 17 years and six months in prison for conspiring to sell over 500 grams of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Castro was one of more than 50 individuals charged in June 2019 as part of Operation Red Reaper, a federal, state, and local law enforcement operation targeted at dismantling the criminal activities of the Nuestra Familia Prison Gang in the counties of Kings and Tulare. At the conclusion of the operation, federal charges were brought against 23 of those defendants, with the remaining being charged by the local District Attorney’s Office.

Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft and Unemployment Benefits Fraud Scheme

FRESNO - Garrett Scott Wheelen, 30, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud and possession of stolen mail, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, between August and November 2020, Wheelen perpetrated a mail fraud scheme to defraud the State of California by submitting fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims to California’s Employment Development Department (EDD). PUA is a federal unemployment insurance program, established by the federal CARES Act and administered by EDD, that provides unemployment benefits to people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wheelen used personally identifiable information (PII) and other information associated with real people to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance and PUA claims to EDD. The claims were submitted for his own benefit and included information relating to employment and mailing addresses that were not associated with the claimants. EDD approved at least some of the claims and caused Bank of America to mail debit cards containing unemployment benefits to an address under Wheelen’s control.

Federal Charges Brought Against Four Madera Men for Trafficking Fentanyl and Methamphetamine

FRESNO - A federal grand jury indicted three Madera residents today, charging Emilio Hernandez Yesca, 27; Jorge Perez, 24; and Jorge Luis Hernandez Gonzalez, 30, with trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. An associate of the trafficking ring, Eli Quiroz Hernandez, 26, also of Madera, was indicted in a related case on April 1.

According to court documents, the charges arose out of a months-long investigation into a drug trafficking organization. At the center of the organization were Hernandez and Perez. Between October 2020 and March 2021, the two conspired to distribute thousands of fentanyl pills and pounds of methamphetamine. As part of their plan, they sold 1,400 fentanyl pills in two separate drug deals in October and November 2020. Then, in February 2021, they sold a pound of methamphetamine.