News

CDCR Mourns Death of Kern Valley State Prison Officer

HANFORD - On Friday, September 14, Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) correctional officer Armando Gallegos, died unexpectedly in a Hanford hospital. Gallegos, 56, had worked at KVSP since graduating from the Basic Correctional Officer Academy in 2005. He remained at the prison until April 21, 2018 when he, along with a second officer, sustained injuries during an attack by inmates.

“Our hearts are heavy from the passing of Officer Armando Gallegos. Correctional officers like Armando put their lives on the line every day to keep our prisons and communities safe. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Irma, his family and friends, as well as our CDCR community, during this difficult time,” said CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz.

San Francisco & Los Angeles Area Residents Charged with Operating an Illegal Gambling Business, Money Laundering, Witness Tampering, and Making False Statements

SACRAMENTO - A superseding indictment was unsealed today, adding four defendants and additional charges to a case involving an illegal gambling business operating in Sacramento and elsewhere in California, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Yaniv Gohar, 35, of Berkeley; Orel Gohar, 28, of San Francisco; and Eran Buhbut 33, of Oakland were indicted in December 2017, charged with conducting an illegal gambling business.

According to court documents, from September 2015 through November 2017, Yaniv Gohar, Orel Gohar, and Buhbut operated a gambling business that installed and maintained video slot machines at smoke shops and convenience stores throughout Northern California, including in Sacramento, in violation of California laws prohibiting such machines.

Sixteen MS-13 Gang Members Indicted for Assault and Drug Trafficking

FRESNO - A federal grand jury in Fresno returned a five-count indictment Thursday against 16 members and associates of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott for the Eastern District of California announced.

The defendants are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering (two counts); conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana; and being an alien in possession of a firearm (two counts). The defendants are:

Gerawan Applauds the California Supreme Court's Decision to Affirm the Right of Farmworkers to Have Their Votes Counted

FRESNO - The California Supreme Court yesterday unanimously rejected a bid by the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) and the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) to overturn a court order directing the ALRB to count the ballots in one of the largest decertification elections in California agricultural labor history.

The UFW won an election at Gerawan in 1990. In 1995, the UFW inexplicably disappeared without attempting to bargain for a contract. After returning in 2012, the UFW demanded that the ALRB impose a contract that would require Gerawan farmworkers to pay the UFW to keep their jobs. The decertification election was held on November 5, 2013, after a majority of Gerawan farmworkers asked to decide whether to oust the UFW as their bargaining representative.

Police Chase Leads to Collision, Seperate Hit n Run Leads to Arrest

CHOWCHILLA - Did you hear sirens Sunday night? If so it’s because the police department was busy. At around 9:30pm officer's attempted to conduct a traffic stop on an early 2000’s Honda Civic in the 1200 block of Riverside Avenue that was displaying paper plates. Honda sedans are one of the most stolen cars in America.

The vehicle then fled from officers leading them in a vehicle pursuit. During the pursuit the vehicle drove onto the grass at Ed Ray Park crashing head on into a tree. But that didn’t stop driver 47 year old Dos Palos resident Gordon McCarty, he then backed up the Honda and continued driving the then partially disabled vehicle south on 15th Street.

Sacramento Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Social Security Benefits

SACRAMENTO - Shonda Mayshack, 42, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to theft of government property, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, in April 2000, the Social Security Administration (SSA) began paying disability benefits to Mayshack’s grandmother.

When the grandmother died in May 2001, Mayshack did not report it to SSA, and SSA continued to mail benefit checks to the grandmother’s address where Mayshack lived. Between May 2001 and February 2017, Mayshack stole approximately $247,933 of her grandmother’s Social Security benefits for her own use, knowing that she was not entitled to the benefits.

Stanislaus County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

FRESNO - U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced Adam Alan Henry, 39, of Turlock, today to 20 years in prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for child exploitation offenses, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. During the supervised release, Henry will be required to register as a sex offender, and his access to minors, the internet, and computers will be restricted. He was also ordered to pay $2,500 and $500 in restitution to two victims whose images Henry obtained.

On November 17, 2017, a federal jury in Fresno found Henry guilty of conspiring to sexually exploit a minor and receiving child pornography. According to court documents and evidence produced at trial, from May 2012 until September 19, 2013, Henry conspired with another person to create video and still images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. From 2007 through September 2013, Henry used a file-sharing program to receive child pornography.