Local News

SACRAMENTO -  After a seven–day trial, a federal jury found Erik Hermann Green, 37, of Roseville, guilty on Tuesday of three counts of wire fraud in a mortgage fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.  According to evidence presented at trial, Green was part of a large-scale mortgage fraud scheme to defraud the New Century Mortgage Company by submitting false documentation about employment, income and assets, including fraudulent loan applications and other altered bank documents.

Around October 2006, when Green submitted his fraudulent loan applications to obtain a loan for $820,000, he was a licensed real estate sales person and managed approximately 15 loan officers. As part of the scheme, Green received a check for $100,000 that was funneled through a shell company at the close of escrow. Green used the funds for personal expenses.

ATWATER - The son of former Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse II was found fatally shot Friday morning at an Atwater home. At approximately 9:56 AM Friday morning, Atwater Police began receiving reports of shots fired in the area of Winton Way and Fir Avenue.

Officers arrived on scene and found a male seated in the driver’s seat of a black sedan who had sustained at least two gunshot wounds. Cal-Fire personnel and Riggs Ambulance arrived at the scene and began life saving efforts before the victim was ultimately transported to a Merced hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

CHOWCHILLA - Early Sunday morning Chowchilla Police arrested Paul Clingham (47) of Chowchilla outside the police department headquarters. The suspect was seen on video surveillance camera, circling the department on a bicycle. A closer examination of the video showed that Clingham was at the rear area of the department carrying a large “butcher” type knife.

As one of Chowchilla police officers walked outside of the department, he noticed that there was a bicycle laying in a parking spot where a patrol car is normally parked. The officer, used his training and experience and began to believe that the bicycle could have been placed there as a distraction.

SACRAMENTO -  After an 11-day trial, a federal jury found Satish Kartan, 45, and his wife, Sharmistha Barai, 40, guilty on March 14 of conspiracy to obtain forced labor and two counts of obtaining forced labor. In addition, Kartan was found guilty of fraud in foreign labor contracting. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, Matthew Perlman, Special Agent in Charge of the of the Diplomatic Security Service San Francisco Field Office, Sean Ragan, Special Agent in Charge of the Sacramento FBI Field Office, and Ryan L. Spradlin, the Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Northern California made the announcement.

“Human trafficking is a disgraceful and unacceptable crime. The defendants in this case took advantage of overseas workers, forcing them to work without pay, physically abusing them, and threatening negative repercussions if they tried to leave,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. "The Justice Department will continue to investigate and vigorously prosecute human traffickers in order to bring justice to victims.”