Eastern District of California

FRESNO, Calif. — As a result of Operation Fraud Street Mafia, a Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) inmate has been charged in two separate federal complaints with drug trafficking and COVID-19 fraud. Seven defendants in California and Maryland are also charged in the two schemes.

Making the announcement today are U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark, Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI Sacramento Field Office, and IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley.

“It is remarkable that a prison inmate coordinated with others on the outside to distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine into the community,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “But that apparently was not enough: he also conspired to pursue over half a billion dollars in federal tax credits that were meant to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to combatting organized crime whether it is drug trafficking or theft of taxpayer money, and whether it is committed inside or outside of prisons.”

“This extensive drug trafficking investigation exposed a massive fraud operation being conducted from behind bars. As a prison inmate engineered a criminal network from coast to coast to peddle poison, law enforcement put their collective authorities together to dismantle this organization brick by brick,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Clark. “Strong law enforcement partnerships built on action are an invaluable tool to ensure prison is no longer a place where violent criminals can operate without consequence.”

“I applaud the work of our California COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force and the hard-working prosecutors, agents, and analysts in the Eastern District of California who conducted this investigation,” said Michael C. Galdo, Department of Justice Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement. “The Department will continue to work with our law enforcement partners around the country to uncover these schemes and hold those accountable who attempt to steal from the American people—whether they are hiding overseas or, like the allegations in this investigation, operating conspiracies from behind bars.”

“The criminal enterprises we battle today are more sophisticated than ever before,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Remily. “From interstate drug trafficking rings to massive fraud schemes aimed at stealing pandemic relief funds meant for struggling American businesses, the criminal conspiracies we face are complex and ever-changing. Despite these challenges, the dedicated men and women of the FBI and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners will continue to diligently investigate these criminals. We will use every investigative technique at our disposal to disrupt their activities and bring them to justice.”

“Kristopher Thomas and his associates being in federal custody are a result of an incredibly detailed, multi-agency OCEDTF investigation and is a critical milestone in this case,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Mosley. “While incarcerated and with the help of his associates, Thomas is accused of leading a conspiracy to defraud taxpayers of over $550 million by falsely claiming COVID-19 Employee Retention Credits. CI agents specialize in financial investigations and remain on the front lines of fighting fraud.”

According to court documents, in August 2022, the DEA began a wiretap investigation into a methamphetamine trafficking operation that was run out of the Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California, by inmate Kristopher Thomas, 36. Thomas has been incarcerated since December 2010 after being convicted of a gang-related first-degree murder. Thomas is a long-time member of the Main Street Mafia Crips, a street gang located in South Los Angeles.

Agents reviewed recorded jail calls placed by Thomas on a prison-issued tablet to numerous romantic partners, family members, and other individuals believed to be involved in drug trafficking. Agents also intercepted Thomas sending and receiving text messages about what appeared to be a tax fraud scheme. The intercepted text messages contained screenshots of tax information for many businesses with tax refund amounts. This triggered the DEA to request assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI.

The drug trafficking and the tax fraud scheme are being prosecuted separately, and Thomas is charged in both cases.

The Methamphetamine Trafficking Scheme

According to court documents, Thomas was the head of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that was responsible for the shipment of large quantities of methamphetamine to Hawaii, Oklahoma, Alabama, New Jersey, and elsewhere, as well as the smuggling of fentanyl into Kern Valley State Prison.

The investigation began after DEA agents identified Thomas as a source of methamphetamine supply in Hawaii. Subsequent recorded negotiations with Thomas resulted in the seizure in Oahu, Hawaii, of more than 90 pounds of methamphetamine. These seizures became the basis for the initiation of the wiretap investigation into multiple contraband cellphones in Thomas’s possession at KVSP.

The wiretap investigation revealed that Thomas orchestrated the interstate shipment of more than 54 pounds of methamphetamine to other states, including Oklahoma, Alabama, and New Jersey. Thomas was assisted by other gang associates. In addition, wire intercepts led to the seizure of an additional 40 pounds of methamphetamine, over 14 pounds of fentanyl, 9.5 pounds of heroin, and 8.5 pounds of cocaine. A half a pound of fentanyl was seized after it was smuggled into KVSP at Thomas’s direction.

Charged with Thomas in the drug trafficking scheme are Justin Damonte Mitchell, 31, of Los Angeles; Derrick D. Charles, 41, a former inmate at KVSP; Natasha Michelle Bailey, 44, of Bakersfield; Antrell Maeshack Sr., 41, of Santa Clarita; and Marie Joo-Yeon Choi, 29, of Los Angeles.

The IRS Employee Retention Credits Scheme

According to court documents, from January 2022 through at least July 2023, Thomas led a multi-million-dollar tax refund fraud scheme whereby Thomas and his co-conspirators filed payroll tax returns with the IRS that claimed Employee Retention Credits (ERC) for businesses that were not entitled to receive the credits so that they would receive large tax refunds.

Others charged with Thomas in the ERC scheme are Thomas’s mother, Kettisha Thompson-Dozier, 55, and her spouse Charmane Dozier, 44, both of Waldorf, Maryland, and Sharon Vance, 36, of Hawthorne, California.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ERC became available as a refundable federal tax credit for employers as a way to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payrolls. The credit was available to eligible employers that paid wages to some or all employees during the pandemic.

IRS records show Thomas and his co-conspirators filed hundreds of payroll tax returns that claimed over $550 million in tax refunds. The payroll tax returns were for fake business entities, actual businesses with overstated wages and numbers of employees, and businesses that were defunct at the time the payroll tax returns were filed. The defendants used the proceeds for improper personal expenditures. For example, in December 2022, Thomas celebrated his birthday by paying for his family members and friends to be driven to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, party for the night at a luxury penthouse, and then fly back to Los Angeles on a private jet.

The drug trafficking case is the product of an investigation by the DEA with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

The ERC tax fraud case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Jeffrey Spivak are prosecuting the case.

The crimes charged today carry the following penalties: (1) conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and distribution of methamphetamine – both of which carry a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term and maximum penalty of life in prison; and (2) conspiracy to defraud the United States by submitting fraudulent ERC claims – which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

FRESNO, Calif. — Akop Dongelyan, 47, of Glendale, was sentenced today to 364 days in prison for conspiring to commit credit and debit card fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in November 2015, Dongelyan and co-defendant Artak Vardanyan went on a crime spree in Fresno and Southern California where they stole multiple victims’ credit and debit card information through skimmers placed at gas stations. They then used that information to make counterfeit credit and debit cards and stole over $195,000 from the victims’ accounts.

On Feb. 12, 2024, Vardanyan was sentenced to 11 months in prison.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Arelis Clemente prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Feb. 15, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Kyle Travis Colton, 36, of Citrus Heights, charging him with receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. 

According to court documents, between July 2022 and December 2023, Colton received visual depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment was unsealed today.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Colton faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Christian Claustro, 28, of Rancho Cucamonga, charging him with theft of personal property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and fleeing or eluding a police officer, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 26, 2022, Claustro stole a Yosemite National Park employee’s vehicle who had pulled over on the side of the road to remove a bike from the roadway. Claustro then led a park ranger in a high-speed chase. The pursuit reached the Ferguson Slide bridge, and Claustro drove the wrong way on to the bridge, colliding head on with another vehicle. The other vehicle was disabled by the amount of damage caused, but Claustro was able to continue driving until he drove the vehicle off a cliff, falling approximately 200 feet to the bottom of a canyon.

This case is the product of an investigation by the National Park Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Claustro faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for theft of personal property, up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for destroying or removing property subject to seizure, and up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for recklessly evading a peace officer. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kaymeisha Keyes, 32, most recently of Tracy, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between April 2020 and August 2021, Keyes executed a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD) by filing over 70 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with EDD, seeking Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and other benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. During the scheme, Keyes collected personally identifiable information of numerous individuals — including names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers — and used their identities to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. The filings represented, among other things, that the claimants had recently lost employment or were unable to find employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These unemployment insurance claims were fraudulent because, for example, the claimants were not unemployed, they were not eligible for California unemployment insurance benefits, or Keyes did not have authority to file claims on their behalf.

Since at least October 2021, EDD partnered with ID.me — a private company used by the EDD for ID verification of claimants — to implement a system for verifying claimant identities before EDD can process unemployment insurance claims. In executing this fraudulent scheme, Keyes submitted false information to ID.me that allowed fake and stolen identities to be verified. This false information included images of fake driver’s licenses that contained photos of Keyes and co-schemers and the names of the purported claimants. She also submitted photos of herself and co-schemers that were used to verify the photos on the fake driver’s licenses. Once these false identities were verified, Keyes filed the fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with EDD under the same identities.

In the fraudulent unemployment insurance applications, Keyes requested that the unemployment insurance benefits be mailed to various addresses under her control, including her residence in Tracy. EDD approved dozens of the fraudulent claims and authorized Bank of America to mail out EDD debit cards containing unemployment insurance benefits. Keyes then activated the EDD debit cards and spent the benefits on herself. The scheme sought over $2 million in unemployment insurance benefits and caused EDD and the United States to incur actual losses exceeding $1.1 million.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Office of Correctional Safety, and the California EDD – Investigation Division with assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.

Keyes is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on May 11, 2024. Keyes faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the wire fraud count. She faces a two-year mandatory prison sentence on the aggravated identity theft count, which must run consecutive to any sentence received on the wire fraud count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is prosecuted as part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, one of five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal jury found Charles Barrett, 39, guilty today of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact that occurred during a weekend in Yosemite National Park, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the victim went to Yosemite for a weekend of hiking, and Barrett, who was working and living in the park, sexually assaulted her three times. During trial, three other women testified that Barrett also sexually assaulted them. These assaults were not charged because they were outside federal jurisdiction but were admitted at trial as relevant to the charged assaults.

“This defendant used his renown and physical presence as a rock climber to lure and intimidate victims who were part of the rock-climbing community. His violent sexual assaults were devastating to the victims, whom he later threatened in the lead-up to trial,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Today, the defendant has been held accountable for his crimes. My office will continue its work to make National Parks such as Yosemite a safe place for all."

This case is the product of an investigation by the National Park Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael G. Tierney and Arin C. Heinz are prosecuting the case.

U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez is scheduled to sentence Barrett on May 21, 2024. Barrett faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

If you have information related to this case or believe you may be a victim, please submit a tip online, call 888-653-0009, or email [email protected].

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gabriel Alva, 32, of Winnetka, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine over the dark web, and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Alva and his co-conspirators ran multiple drug vendor accounts on various dark web contraband marketplaces, including “Diablow” on the Silk Road 3.1 marketplace, “RaiseAppeals” on the Dream marketplace, and “RaisedByDiablow” on the Nightmare marketplace. Alva’s dark web vendor pages offered crystal methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and other narcotics for sale. Alva accepted payment in cryptocurrency for the narcotics he sold on the dark web and converted approximately $1.3 million worth of various cryptocurrencies into cash while operating his vendor accounts.

Federal law enforcement agents executed search and arrest warrants at Alva’s residence in May 2019. Agents seized nearly 2 kilograms of heroin, more than 2 kilograms of cocaine, and nearly 24 kilograms of methamphetamine. Agents also recovered six firearms inside Alva’s residence (including a Remington shotgun, a Smith & Wesson assault rifle, and an unserialized AR-15 assault rifle), as well as a silencer, a scope, and several magazines of ammunition.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) Task Force. The NCIDE Task Force is a federal task force focused on targeting all forms of illicit dark web and cryptocurrency activity in the Eastern District of California and beyond, and includes agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jayson Fernandez Butay, 29, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to one count of producing child sexual abuse material and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. 

According to court documents, in April 2019, Butay used Snapchat to correspond with a 15-year-old girl living in Finland. Butay convinced her to send him naked images of herself. Once he received these images, Butay threatened to disclose them to his victim’s family and friends unless she sent him sexually explicit videos. In this way, Butay obtained at least one additional sexually explicit video.

Law enforcement agents subsequently executed federal search warrants at Butay’s residence in Sacramento and seized hundreds of images and videos from Butay’s digital devices that depicted the sexual exploitation of children.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki is prosecuting the case.

Butay is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on April 29, 2024. Butay faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

FRESNO, Calif. — Artak Vardanyan, 40, of Burbank, was sentenced today to 11 months in prison for conspiring to commit credit and debit card fraud, and Christos Mavrokelos, 37, a Romanian national operating in Fresno and elsewhere, pleaded guilty today to using counterfeit debit cards and skimming devices, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Vardanyan Used Credit and Debit Card Skimmers at Gas Stations to Steal Nearly $200,000 in Fresno and Southern California

According to court records, in November 2015, Vardanyan and his co-defendant, Akop Dongelyan, went on a crime spree in Fresno and Southern California where they stole multiple victims’ credit and debit card information through skimmers placed at gas stations. They then used that information to make counterfeit credit and debit cards and stole over $195,000 from the victims’ accounts. This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Arelis Clemente are prosecuting the case.

Mavrokelos Used Debit Card Skimming Devices on Bank ATMs to steal Victims’ Debit Card Information and Made Unauthorized Cash Withdrawals

According to court records, from July 2021 through November 2023, in Fresno and Madera Counties and elsewhere, Mavrokelos knowingly and with intent to defraud, used counterfeit debit cards that contained victims’ stolen account information to make unauthorized cash withdrawals on the victims’ accounts. The victims’ account information was stolen through the use of skimming devices, which are devices that can be surreptitiously installed on bank ATMs and card readers that are used to record victims’ information.

In total, Mavrokelos made unauthorized cash withdrawals on more than 10 victims’ accounts. The withdrawals were made from banks whose deposits were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Mavrokelos’s misconduct caused an actual loss of $75,000, and the reasonably foreseeable intended loss was over $95,000. This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Cody Chapple are prosecuting the case.

Mavrokelos is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2024.  He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Vardanyan’s co-defendant, Dongelyan, previously pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

FRESNO, Calif. — Joseph Roy Vigneault, 21, of Lake Isabella, pleaded guilty today to distributing explosives to a non-licensed person, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in May 2023, Vigneault and Michael Roy Anglin, 21, of Wofford Heights, sold and delivered six full boxes and one partial box of Hydromite weighing a total of approximately 350 pounds to a non-licensed person. Neither Vigneault, Anglin, nor the buyer were licensed to handle or transport explosives as required by federal law. Vigneault knew or had reason to believe that the Hydromite was stolen. The boxes containing the explosives were labeled “Explosive, Blasting, Type E” and “Blasting Agent.” The sticks of Hydromite were also individually labeled “Danger” and “Explosive.” Hydromite is a high explosive containing ammonium nitrate and is used as a blasting agent.

Austin Powder West LLC, a licensed explosives manufacturer, confirmed that 295 sticks of Hydromite, weighing approximately 702.1 pounds, went missing from its Lake Isabella storage facility sometime between May 6 and May 11, 2023. The missing explosives included the boxes that Vigneault sold. The value of the unrecovered explosives is $7,603. Vigneault agreed to make restitution to Austin Powder in that amount.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Vigneault is scheduled for sentencing on May 20, 2024. Vigneault faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Charges are pending against Anglin. The charges are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

FRESNO, Calif. — Ivan Sigmond, 50, of Clovis, pleaded guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 28, 2020, law enforcement officers obtained and executed a search warrant at Sigmond’s residence, where they found nearly 30 pounds of pure methamphetamine, along with two handguns and an assault firearm.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Sigmond is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2024. Sigmond faces a minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Joshua Markanson, 32, of Victorville, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to unlawfully manufacture and deal firearms, unlawfully manufacturing and dealing in firearms, engaging in the business of manufacturing and dealing firearms without registering and paying taxes, possession of unregistered firearms, and possession of unserialized firearms, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between Nov. 13, 2017, and Dec. 14, 2017, Markanson entered into a conspiracy to manufacture and sell firearms outside of lawful channels. An undercover agent and a confidential informant working for law enforcement purchased over 30 guns from the conspirators during the course of six undercover transactions. This included six unserialized short-barrel rifles and six unserialized silencers.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Lee and Cameron Desmond are prosecuting the case.

Co-defendant Donte Robins was convicted of conspiracy to unlawfully deal firearms without a license and was sentenced to nine months in prison. Co-defendant Rayshawn Wray was convicted of conspiracy to unlawfully deal firearms without a license and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Markanson is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on May 2, 2024. Markanson faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the counts of conspiracy to unlawfully manufacture and deal firearms and the unlawful dealing and manufacturing firearms count. He faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the counts of possession of an unregistered firearm and the count of possession of an unserialized firearm. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

FRESNO, Calif. — Ignacio Alcantar Torres, 34, of McFarland, was sentenced today to 10 years and 10 months in prison, and on Jan. 22, 2024, Alexis Mendiola, 38, of North Hollywood, was sentenced to one year in prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. 

According to court documents, on four separate occasions, Alcantar served as a courier for Pedro Delgado-Montenegro, 43, a former resident of Porterville, and delivered 1,150 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and one-half pound of methamphetamine to an undercover officer for a total of $5,940. Delgado-Montenegro also arranged for Mendiola, his “pill source,” to deliver to an undercover officer 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. Alcantar and Mendiola are the last of eight defendants to be sentenced for the conspiracy.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Porterville Police Department, the Coalinga Police Department, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

FRESNO, Calif. — Uriel Diaz-Santos, 21, of Fresno, was sentenced today to nine years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, after two juveniles overdosed on fentanyl pills, investigators interviewed witnesses and reviewed phone records, ultimately developing enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for Diaz-Santos’s residence. On Nov. 2, 2021, investigators searched Diaz-Santos’s house and found thousands of fentanyl pills and a firearm.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Fentanyl Overdose Resolution Team (FORT), composed of officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno and Clovis Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the U.S. Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chaloner Saintillus, 35, of Delray Beach, Florida, was sentenced today to 10 years and one month in prison for distributing controlled substances into the Eastern District of California using the dark web, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Saintillus operated multiple narcotics vendor accounts on the dark web under the username “chlnsaint,” through which he sold fentanyl, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and other narcotics in exchange for cryptocurrency. Taking advantage of the dark web’s anonymity, Saintillus completed more than 1,000 drug deals between August 2019 and August 2020 alone. Saintillus used the U.S. Postal Service to send his customers the fentanyl, opioids, and other narcotics they purchased from “chlnsaint.”

Law enforcement officers conducted 12 controlled purchases of narcotics from “chlnsaint” between April and October 2020. Agents identified Saintillus as “chlnsaint” through physical surveillance and analysis of financial, package tracking, and photographic records maintained by the Postal Service. Agents executed search warrants at Saintillus’s Florida residence in October 2020, during which they arrested Saintillus and seized narcotics, more than $20,000 in cryptocurrency, a firearm, and a suitcase full of ammunition. On April 6, 2023, Saintillus pleaded guilty to 12 counts of distributing controlled substances.

This case was the product of an investigation by Northern California Illicit Digital Economy Task Force (NCIDE), which is composed of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. NCIDE agents received assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Delray Beach Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Stefanki and Ross Pearson prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment Thursday against Phillip Maurice Allen, 49, of Stockton, charging him with distribution of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 2023, a confidential source, working at the direction of law enforcement, purchased approximately half a kilogram of cocaine from Allen. On Dec. 4, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant executed at Allen’s automobile repair business in Manteca and found 3 kilograms of cocaine vacuum sealed into individual 1-kilogram bricks, as well as a digital scale, Ziploc bags, a money counter, and a vacuum sealing machine. Agents also found in the office two handguns, a Glock 31 and a Diamondback Arms 9 mm, and over 1,200 rounds of ammunition. Allen is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Conolly is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of distribution of cocaine, Allen faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. If convicted of possession with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, Allen faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. If convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Allen faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Ruby Celly Uribe, 34, of Antelope, charging her with illegal possession of a machine gun and a short-barreled rifle, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Uribe was assigned to the logistics shop at the California National Guard Headquarters in Mather and was a member of the Counterdrug Task Force (CDTF). The CDTF supports local, tribal, and federal law enforcement entities in the interdiction of drug trafficking organizations. While assigned to this unit, Uribe leaked information about upcoming drug raids to a person she knew to be involved with drug dealing. Text messages recovered from Uribe’s phone revealed she shared sensitive information about upcoming operations, including the date and location and the number of military vehicles and aircraft involved.

A federal search warrant of Uribe’s residence resulted in the discovery of a short-barreled rifle. The firearm had been modified to fire in full-automatic mode as a machine gun. In addition, it was a privately made firearm with no serial number, commonly referred to as a ghost gun. A search of Uribe’s cellphone revealed that she was also engaged in trafficking other non‑serialized, short-barreled machine guns.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the California Military Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Uribe faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Daniel Stewart, 59, of Lincoln, and Luke Burroughs, 59, of Loomis, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to defraud the United States, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Burroughs and Stewart are the co-owners of Western Baler and Conveyor (WBC), a Rocklin‑based business that sells and services industrial conveyor belt systems. During the period of the conspiracy, WBC grossed several million dollars annually. Beginning in 2016, Stewart and Burroughs attempted to decrease their personal and company tax burdens by disguising personal expenses as company expenses. For example, Stewart remodeled his home, installed horse stables, and built a swimming pool and paid for all of it through WBC checks made to look like company expenses. At the same time, Stewart and Burroughs padded WBC expenses to get off-the-books cash kickbacks. Stewart and Burroughs ultimately underpaid their personal and company taxes by a combined amount of over $1 million.

In 2018 and 2019, a confidential informant (CI) working with law enforcement met with Stewart on multiple occasions, helping to reveal how the conspiracy worked. Over several meetings, the CI provided Stewart large amounts of cash in exchange for WBC checks for the same or similar amounts; Stewart and Burroughs would then divide the cash and keep it as income, while using the WBC checks to make it look like that money had instead been spent on company expenses to decrease their tax burden. In 2019 an undercover special agent (UC) joined the CI for similar meetings with Stewart and Burroughs. Stewart and Burroughs continued the cash-for-checks scheme despite being told that the cash was coming from interstate marijuana sales, including one transaction of over $150,000 that they falsely disguised as the purchase of a baler, complete with a fake invoice. The CI and UC ultimately exchanged hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash for WBC checks. For 2019 alone, Stewart and Burroughs were seeking to evade paying taxes on approximately $4 million.

As part of the conspiracy, Stewart and Burroughs caused false WBC company tax returns to be filed with the IRS for tax years 2016–2019, as well as false personal tax returns for themselves for those same tax years. In total, Stewart and Burroughs underpaid their personal and company taxes by a combined amount of $1,099,327.

This case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

Stewart and Burroughs are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on May 9, 2024. Stewart and Burroughs each face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gary Stephen Maynard, 49, of San Jose, pleaded guilty today to three counts of arson on federal property, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Maynard engaged in an arson spree in the Shasta Trinity National Forest and in the vicinity of the then-ongoing Dixie Fire in the Lassen National Forest. Maynard set some of his fires behind firefighters who were actively fighting the Dixie Fire, effectively surrounding these firefighters as they responded to one of the largest wildfires in California history. Maynard admitted to setting the following fires during this arson spree: the Cascade Fire (July 20, 2021), the Everitt Fire (July 21, 2021), the Ranch Fire (Aug. 7, 2021), and the Conard Fire (Aug. 7, 2021).

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CalFire, the California Highway Patrol, and the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shea Kenny, Sam Stefanki, and Michael Anderson are prosecuting the case.

Maynard is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Maynard faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count to which he pleaded guilty. Arson to federal property carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jeffrey Menge, 43, of Copperopolis, and Eric Drabert, 44, of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from 2018 to 2022, Menge served as the Assistant Superintendent and Chief Business Officer of Patterson Joint Unified School District. In approximately 2020, Menge hired Drabert to serve as IT Director for the school district. Menge and Drabert conducted schemes to embezzle money from the school district. Among other things, they used CenCal Tech LLC, a Nevada company that Menge controlled, to carry out the scheme. Menge was limited in his ability to conduct interested party transactions with the school district, so he created a fictitious person, “Frank Barnes,” to serve as an executive for CenCal Tech. Menge and Drabert then used CenCal Tech to conduct more than $1.2 million in fraudulent transactions with the school district. The transactions involved double billing, over billing, and billing for items not delivered by CenCal Tech to the school district.

According to court documents, Menge and Drabert stole in additional ways as well. For example, they purchased high-end graphics cards and used those cards, together with other school district property and electricity, to operate a cryptocurrency “mining” farm at the school district. They then transferred the mined cryptocurrency to wallets under their own personal control. Menge also misused vehicles owned by the school district, including buying a Chevy truck at below-market value and selling it for a profit, and using a Ford Transit van as his own personal vehicle.

In total, Menge embezzled between $1 million and $1.5 million and Drabert stole between $250,000 and $300,000 during the scheme. Menge used stolen funds to remodel his home, to purchase luxury cars, including a Ferrari sports car, and for other personal uses. Drabert used stolen funds to remodel his vacation cabin, among other uses.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Stanislaus County District Attorney Bureau of Investigation and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Spivak is prosecuting the case.

Menge and Drabert are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on May 30, 2024. Menge and Drabert each face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Melissa Saurwein, 45, of Martinez, was sentenced today to two months in prison for making a false statement in connection with a sexual relationship she had with a victim witness in a separate federal criminal case, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Saurwein was formerly a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations in Northern California. While working in that capacity in a separate human trafficking case, Saurwein developed a romantic sexual relationship with a victim witness. In preparation for Saurwein’s testimony at trial, prosecutors asked Saurwein if she had a personal relationship with any witness or victim in the case. Saurwein lied in response to the questioning in order to conceal her sexual relationship with the victim witness. The human trafficking case went to trial and both Saurwein and the victim witness testified. The relationship between Saurwein and the victim witness did not come to light until after the trial and sentencing of the defendant in the human trafficking case were complete.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District was recused from this case, which is proceeding in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Special Attorney to the Attorney General Audrey B. Hemesath prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — Aldo David Alcaraz, 30, of Long Beach was sentenced Monday to 10 years and one month in prison for attempted coercion of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The sentence imposed includes a lifetime term of supervised release, during which Alcaraz’s access to minors, computers, and the internet will be restricted.

According to court documents, Alcaraz used an iPhone, the messaging application Skout and text messages to engage in sexually explicit communications for several days with a person he believed to be 14 years old. On Jan. 23, 2021, Alcaraz traveled to Bakersfield to meet the purported minor for sexual activity. The “minor” was actually undercover law enforcement investigators. On arrival, Alcaraz was arrested and booked into the Kern County Jail.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Marcello Marlo Rivera, 49, of Lodi, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to evidence presented at trial, on May 11, 2022, while law enforcement agents were attempting to execute a federal search warrant, Rivera flushed methamphetamine down the toilet at his residence in Lodi. The agents found large bags with leftover methamphetamine shards and residue in Rivera’s room. Rivera was also found to be in possession of a loaded high-capacity magazine containing 17 live rounds of ammunition. Rivera cannot legally possess ammunition because he has previously been convicted of multiple felonies.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the California Highway Patrol, the Lodi Police Department, the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Spencer and Kerry Blackburn prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations.

The mission of the OCDETF Sacramento Strike Force is to identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle the most significant drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and Priority Transactional Organized Crime Groups (PTOCs).

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sofia Cisneros-Noyola, 39, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 2020, a team of local and federal law enforcement officers partnered in an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Cisneros-Noyola and her co‑defendants Esmerelda Ceja-Mendez, 43, of Ceres; Julian Loeza, 33, of Ceres; and Victor Ramirez, 37, of Atwater. On Dec. 2, 2020, law enforcement agents stopped Cisneros-Noyola while she was en route from Modesto to a location where she had arranged to conduct a narcotics transaction. Agents searched the vehicle and seized 20,000 counterfeit oxycontin M-30 pills weighing more than 2 kilograms from under the front passenger seat.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio J. Pataca, Sam Stefanki, and Audrey Hemesath are prosecuting the case.

Cisneros-Noyola is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on June 24, 2024. Cisneros-Noyola faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi‑agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

FRESNO, Calif. — Francisco Javier Torres Mora, aka Johnathan Benjamin Torres, 30, a Mexican national residing in McFarland, was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute 60 pounds of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in April 2021, Torres possessed 60 pounds of methamphetamine at a commercial property that he intended to distribute. Law enforcement officers seized the methamphetamine after wire intercepts indicated that Torres was holding the methamphetamine for Jorge Calderon-Campos, 42, also a Mexican national, who was the target of a wiretap investigation that resulted in the seizure of an additional 26 pounds of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of heroin. The wiretap investigation also uncovered an illegal cockfighting enterprise involving Calderon-Campos, who is charged in a second indictment with violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Co-defendant Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 28, a Mexican national also residing in McFarland, was involved in the 26-pound methamphetamine transaction, and was sentenced earlier this month to 57 months in prison. An associate of Calderon-Campos, Horacio Ortega-Martinez, 36, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, previously entered a guilty plea to the unlawful possession of gamecocks for an animal fighting venture and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Charges are pending against Calderon-Campos and four other co-defendants The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was the product of an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Kern County Sheriff's Office, the Kern County Probation Department, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

FRESNO, Calif. — Andrew James Sarnowski, 25, of Rosamond, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison, for production, distribution, and receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Sarnowski produced multiple videos depicting the sexual abuse of a minor less than a year of age and shared them online through an encrypted social media application. Pursuant to a search of his residence, additional electronic devices belonging to Sarnowski were identified and found to contain hundreds of additional child pornography files, including those depicting prepubescent children, including infants and toddlers, being sexually abused.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Andrew Halvorsen, 49, of Livermore, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Halvorsen worked as the Senior Director of Information Technology for a cloud-based machine data analytics company. In his role at the company, Halvorsen was responsible for ordering Apple MacBooks for company employees. In November 2019, Halvorsen began stealing MacBooks that he ordered and sold for cash to an individual who, in turn, resold and shipped them to buyers outside the state of California. In total, Halvorsen stole and sold at least 141 MacBooks. The cost to his employer of those MacBooks was over $535,000.

This case is a product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen is prosecuting the case.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller is scheduled to sentence Halvorsen on April 15, 2024. Halvorsen faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jason Morgan, 46, of Chico, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in December 2020, Morgan possessed child pornography while on federal supervised release for prior federal convictions for distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and the use of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alstyn Bennett and Audrey B. Hemesath prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Elias Hernandez-Valencia, 48, Mexican national residing in Madera, was sentenced Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between May 22, 2018, and August 8, 2018, Hernandez-Valencia and others were part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. As part of this conspiracy, Hernandez-Valencia directed deliveries of methamphetamine to others within the drug trafficking organization (DTO) and remitting the proceeds from the drug sales to the head of the DTO, a person known as “Tio” (or “Uncle”). Hernandez-Valencia also supervised a methamphetamine conversion laboratory in his home, converting liquid methamphetamine to crystal methamphetamine, generating product for the DTO to sell. Agents executed a search warrant at Hernandez-Valencia’s residence on August 8, 2018, and seized approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine, 1 kilogram of heroin, and over 8 kilograms of methamphetamine (including roughly half a gallon of liquid methamphetamine). In Hernandez-Valencia’s bedroom closet, where agents found the heroin, they also found seven assault rifles and a handgun. This is Hernandez-Valencia’s second federal felony drug trafficking conviction in the Eastern District of California; he was previously convicted and sentenced for conspiracy to distribute heroin in 2006.

Hernandez-Valencia is one of several defendants to plead guilty and be sentenced in this case, including Jose Pantoja-Estrada, Luis Rios-Garcia, Georgina Carrillo-Ayala, Roberto Mercado‑Rangel, Kelley Hughes, Bart Hughes, and Jerry Foster. Filiberto Madrigal has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Madera County Narcotics Enforcement Team (MADNET), and the Fresno High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Conolly is prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today that criminal and civil matters handled by the Eastern District of California in Fiscal Year 2023 resulted in collections totaling $169,209,799.

Of this amount, the Eastern District of California directly collected $52,209,799. This included more than $11.6 million in criminal actions and more than $40.5 million in civil actions. Additionally, the Eastern District of California worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $2,181,933 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, more than $32,000 was collected in criminal actions and more than $2.1 million was collected in civil actions.

Separately, the Department of Justice collected $117 million in a matter handled by the Eastern District of California with assistance from DOJ’s Commercial Litigation Branch. In April 2023, the Pacific Gas & Electric Corporation paid $117 million to the Department of Justice pursuant to a settlement agreement previously reached in PG&E’s bankruptcy proceedings. This agreement required PG&E to compensate the United States for damages caused by multiple fires occurring within the Eastern District of California prior to the bankruptcy, including the deadly 2018 Camp Fire.

“Thanks go to the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and staff in this office whose collection efforts protect the residents of the Eastern District of California and safeguard precious taxpayer resources,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “We are also thankful to our DOJ and law enforcement partners who make much of this work possible. Together we remain committed to protecting the public, vigorously pursuing funds that rightfully belong to U.S. taxpayers, and seeking compensation for crime victims.”

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of California, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected more than $8.6 million in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2023. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jason Corbett, 51, of Butte County, pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder in aid of racketeering as part of a long-running investigation into California Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between 2011 and 2016, Aryan Brotherhood (AB) members and associates engaged in racketeering activity, committing multiple acts involving murder, conspiracies to murder, and drug trafficking crimes. The charges allege that AB members oversaw a significant heroin and methamphetamine trafficking operation from their California prison cells using smuggled cellphones to direct drug trafficking activities, order murders, and oversee other criminal activities inside and outside of the prisons.

According to the plea agreement, on July 28, 2018, Corbett murdered an inmate at High Desert Prison as part of an AB-related killing. Corbett admitted that he committed the murder because the victim falsely claimed to be an AB member and had run up a significant drug debt at his previous prison – both violations of the AB’s expected codes of conduct. Corbett willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, murdered the victim in order to maintain his status within the gang.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Vallejo Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Hitt, Ross Pearson, and David Spencer are prosecuting the case.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller is scheduled to sentence Corbett on April 8, 2024. Corbett faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Three remaining defendants, Ronald Yandell, Billy Sylvester, and Danny Troxell are scheduled for trial in February 2024. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Marcos Lucero, 32, of Santa Ana, was sentenced today to 15 years and six months in prison for attempted online enticement of a minor for sexual purposes, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Lucero asked an 11-year-old girl for explicit pictures, and she sent them to him via a social media application. Lucero continued communicating with her when, unbeknownst to Lucero, an undercover law enforcement agent took over the minor victim’s account. Lucero suggested meeting up for sex, and on Sept. 15, 2021, he traveled from Santa Ana to Fresno to have sex with the 11-year-old.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jaime Alejandro Sanchez Robles, 34, of Mexico, was sentenced today to three years and one month in prison for conspiracy to manufacture 1,708 marijuana plants and depredation of public land in the Jims Creek area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Sanchez Robles was also ordered to pay $68,812 in restitution to the Forest Service for the damage caused by his marijuana cultivation activities.

According to court documents, on Oct. 20, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search of a marijuana growing operation in Jims Creek, a remote area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest located in Trinity County. Sanchez Robles was found at the site, and agents observed that water was actively being diverted from a nearby stream and found the remnants of more than 1,200 pounds of soluble fertilizer, 20 gallons of liquid fertilizer, more than 50 pounds of rodenticide, and at least one dead animal. Law enforcement officers eradicated 1,708 marijuana plants and arrested Sanchez Robles.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service with assistance from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office. Integral Ecology Research Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems, analyzed and documented the environmental damage. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A 10-count indictment was unsealed today charging Deshawn Oshaea Campbell, 36, and Rochelle Pasley, 33, both of Citrus Heights, with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between June 2020 and December 2020, the two defendants conspired to defraud by filing fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) seeking Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits under the CARES Act. During the conspiracy, the defendants obtained the identifying information of other individuals and used their identities to submit dozens of fraudulent claims. The claims represented, among other things, that the claimants had recently lost employment or were unable to find employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These claims were fraudulent because, for instance, many of the individuals whose identities were used did not reside in California and were thus ineligible for benefits from EDD.

In the applications, the defendants used mailing addresses that were under their control, or under the control of their family and friends. EDD approved more than 50 of the fraudulent claims and authorized Bank of America to mail out EDD debit cards containing benefits. The defendants then obtained these debit cards and used them to withdraw the benefits at ATMs throughout California and to make direct purchases, all for their own benefit. The scheme resulted in EDD paying out over $1 million.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the EDD – Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Delaney and Justin Lee are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Campbell and Pasley face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy and mail fraud, and Pasley faces a mandatory, consecutive two-year prison term for aggravated identity theft. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a single count indictment today against Jeremiah Malik Jefferson, 26, of Benicia, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, during a November 2023 search of his residence, Jefferson was found to be in possession of a firearm that was loaded with a high-capacity magazine and had previously been reported stolen. Jefferson is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple prior felony convictions, including for burglary and a previous conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Probation Office, the Benicia Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

FRESNO, Calif. — Makiah Miles, 30, of Compton, and Apryl Weston, 51, of Santa Maria, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit mail fraud for submitting fraudulent unemployment insurance claims to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) in the names of inmates, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Miles was an inmate at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, and Weston is her mother. From June through December 2020, Miles obtained other inmates’ names, dates of birth, and social security numbers and sent that information to Weston to submit claims in those inmates’ identities, as well as Miles’ own identity. The underlying applications misrepresented that Miles and the other inmates worked as childcare providers, cosmetologists, hairdressers, and other occupations, that they last worked within the prior few months and recently became unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that they were currently available to work. The fraudulent claims were worth nearly $250,000.

This case is the product of an investigation by FBI, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Investigative Services Unit, and the EDD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, which is one of the interagency COVID-19 fraud strike forces established by the United States Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California, and focuses on large-scale, multistate, and egregious pandemic relief fraud. The strike force uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.

Miles and Weston are scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2024. They face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

FRESNO, Calif. — Jesus Alberto Reyes-Parra, 31, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today to six years and two months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, following negotiations by a third party for the sale of 50 pounds of methamphetamine for $125,000, Reyes-Parra brought approximately 48 pounds of pure methamphetamine to a drug transaction in a Walmart parking lot in Madera. He did not know that the buyer was undercover law enforcement. Reyes-Parra was arrested after he showed the officer the drugs on the rear passenger seat of his vehicle. Officers recovered the methamphetamine and located in the center console of the vehicle a stolen Colt .38-caliber handgun with a loaded magazine inserted in the handgun.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team, a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative task force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — Bobbi Jo Heiss, 37, of Fresno, was sentenced today to seven years in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between August 2020 and September 2021, Heiss engaged in a scheme to steal debit cards, checks, identity documents, and banking information in order to make fraudulent purchases, cash checks, and open unauthorized lines of credit. The scheme caused at least $250,000 in actual and attempted loss during a year-long period. For example, as part of the scheme, on April 30, 2021, Heiss presented a check for $57,767 to a car dealership in Fresno with the name and driver’s license number of an identity theft victim in order to purchase a 2017 truck.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office - Elder Abuse Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Z. Carbajal III prosecuted the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — Kenneth Laitman aka John Rodman, 79, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to passport fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 1984, Laitman left his job as a stockbroker in New York and moved to California where he assumed the identity of John Rodman and worked at an endoscopy practice. The actual John Rodman died in 1950 at the age of four.

Laitman subsequently obtained various forms of identification, worked different jobs, opened bank accounts, received government benefits, and took other actions while falsely using Rodman’s identity. This included a U.S. Passport that he obtained in 2004 and used to travel overseas on multiple occasions. He was convicted of attempting to renew that passport.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.

Laitman is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29, 2024. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

FRESNO, Calif. — Jeffrey Todd Stewart, 58, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for stealing $355,000 from investors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Stewart was employed as a certified public accountant in Bakersfield. Between September 2014 and June 2018, Stewart solicited and received over $2 million from investors to pay fees and expenses purportedly needed for an overseas business deal. Stewart represented to the investors that their investments were being used for the deal and promised significant returns. Although Stewart used most of the money for the purported deal, he spent $355,000 of the money obtained from the investors on his own personal expenses, including mortgage payments, trips to Las Vegas, and gambling.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Brittany Gunter prosecuted the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rahman Lakhani of Naperville, Illinois, and his two corporations, N. Ali Enterprises Inc. of Naperville, Illinois, and 21st Century Distribution Inc., of Las Vegas, Nevada, each pleaded guilty on Thursday to 20 counts of mail and wire fraud in a California excise tax fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Lakhani and the corporate defendants used warehouses in Illinois, Nevada, and California, to move over $25 million worth of non-cigarette tobacco (known as Other Tobacco Products or OTP, such as cigars and chewing tobacco) across the United States and into California.

As the defendants moved the OTP from state to state, they submitted false excise tax returns designed to hide the size and value of the shipments. Ultimately, the OTP was sold into California with the misrepresentation that tax had been paid. In fact, Lakhani and the corporate defendants submitted or caused to be submitted false tax returns to the California Board of Equalization (BOE) and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). As a result of the fraud, Lakhani and the corporate defendants defrauded the State of California of over $5.9 million.

This fraud allowed Lakhani and the corporate defendants to earn additional profit and to undercut competitors who lawfully paid the excise tax. A large percentage of the proceeds of the California OTP excise tax are used to fund California’s early childhood development program, First 5 California.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the former California State Board of Equalization, sections of which are now the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Anderson and Rosanne L. Rust are prosecuting the case.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on May 16, 2024. Lakhani faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. The corporate defendants each face a maximum potential penalty of five years of probation and a $500,000 fine for each count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Bryan Tamblyn, 40, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to seven years and three months in prison for receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.  He was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to a victim in the case, and a $5,000 Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act assessment. 

According to court records, between July 2018 and August 2019, Tamblyn used a BitTorrent client to knowingly receive thousands of files containing visual depictions of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Some of those files included children under the age of 12.  

This case was the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina McCall prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Steven Chu, 41, of San Bruno, and Ben Guan, 36, of San Francisco, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Chu and Guan ran an illegal marijuana cultivation operation in Vallejo. In July 2020, Chu and Guan were notified that the building in which they maintained the operation was in violation of multiple laws, including city codes related to illegal drug activity, and that the city would take legal or administrative action if the violations were not corrected. Subsequently, Chu and Guan offered to pay and then paid a Vallejo building inspector to clear the violations and ensure the city would not interfere with their operation. Chu and Guan paid the building inspector on at least six occasions. The payments totaled approximately $27,000. Unbeknownst to Chu and Guan, the building inspector was working with law enforcement to record meetings with them.

This case is a product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen is prosecuting the case.

U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta is scheduled to sentence Chu and Guan on May 2, 2024. They face a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the court’s discretion after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Murat Kurashev, 36, a Russian national who resided in Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Kurashev attempted to provide financial support to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is designated by the Secretary of State as a foreign terrorist organization that engages in terrorism in Syria. Between July 2020 and February 2021, Kurashev used money transfer services to send approximately $13,000 to two known couriers of an HTS fundraiser. Records obtained from the money transfer services documented multiple transactions from Kurashev to the couriers in Turkey, usually in increments of $1000. The couriers retrieved the funds often within 24 hours of transfer. Surveillance footage from money transfer businesses captured Kurashev during some of the transactions.

Social media and encrypted mobile messaging discussions between Kurashev and the fundraiser made clear that Kurashev was fully aware of the fundraiser’s violent extremist ideology and participation and work on behalf of HTS. Kurashev stated that he wished he could join the fight in Syria as a mujahideen and regretted that he could only provide financial support. As their conversations showed, Kurashev and the fundraiser believed that providing money in support of the HTS fighters was tantamount to being engaged in violent jihad.

According to court documents, Kurashev followed the fundraiser’s online presence and various social media accounts, which included solicitations for money to purchase military equipment, boots, clothing, firearms, and, in one case, a motorcycle. Forensic analysis of Kurashev’s Apple iCloud account revealed it to be replete with violent extremist content, including a video depicting HTS fighters.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heiko P. Coppola and Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

Kurashev is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on March 18, 2024. Kurashev faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Murat Kurashev, 36, of Sacramento, California, pleaded guilty to a single-count indictment charging him with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents, Kurashev attempted to provide financial support to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Secretary of State and engages in terrorism in Syria. Between July 2020 and February 2021, Kurashev used money transfer services to send approximately $13,000 to two known couriers of an HTS fundraiser. Records obtained from the money transfer services documented multiple transactions from Kurashev to the couriers in Turkey usually in increments of $1,000. The couriers retrieved the funds often within 24 hours of transfer. Surveillance footage from money transfer businesses captured Kurashev in the midst of some of the transactions.

Law enforcement’s review of social media and encrypted mobile messaging discussions between Kurashev and the fundraiser, demonstrated that they believed that providing money in support of the HTS’s fighters was tantamount to being engaged in violent jihad. During these conversations with the fundraiser, Kurashev mentioned that he wished he could join the fight in Syria as a mujahideen and regretted that he could only provide financial support. These conversations make clear that Kurashev was fully aware of the fundraiser’s violent extremist ideology and participation and work on behalf of HTS.

Additional evidence seized by the FBI revealed that Kurashev followed the fundraiser’s online presence and various social media accounts. Some of fundraiser’s social media accounts that were viewed by Kurashev included solicitations for money to purchase military equipment, boots, clothing, firearms, and, in one case, a motorcycle. FBI forensic analysis of Kurashev’s Apple iCloud account revealed it to be replete with violent extremist content, including a video depicting HTS fighters. It appears that Kurashev watched this video while driving his work van along Interstate 80.      

Kurashev faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for March 18. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch, and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Heiko P. Coppola for the Eastern District of California and Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

FRESNO, Calif. — Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 38, a Mexican national residing in Arvin, was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in March 2021, Gomez delivered 26 pounds of methamphetamine to co-defendants Jorge Calderon-Campos, 42, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, and Mark Garcia, 23, of Bakersfield. Law enforcement officers later seized the drug from Garcia’s vehicle during a traffic stop. This transaction was one of many transactions involving Calderon-Campos, who was the target of a wiretap investigation that resulted in the seizure of more than 86 pounds of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of heroin. The wiretap investigation also uncovered an illegal cockfighting enterprise involving Calderon-Campos, who is charged in a second indictment with violations of the Animal Welfare Act. An associate, Horacio Ortega-Martinez, 36, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, previously entered a guilty plea to the unlawful possession of gamecocks for an animal fighting venture and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Francisco Javier Torres Mora, aka Johnathan Benjamin Torres Luna, 30, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, previously entered a guilty plea to possessing with intent to distribute 60 pounds of methamphetamine and is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 29, 2024. Charges remain pending again Calderon-Campos, Garcia, Jose Beltran-Chaidez, 68, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, and two other co-defendants. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was the product of an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Kern County Sheriff's Office, the Kern County Probation Department, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

Five individuals were sentenced today for drug trafficking and firearm offenses, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Two fentanyl dealers sentenced for interstate drug trafficking

Juan Alejandro Comparan-Guzman, 28, of Kerman, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Rita Ann-Marie Louis, 32, of Carnation, Washington, was sentenced to four years in prison for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin.

According to court documents, a nine-month investigation into a drug-trafficking organization operating in California and trafficking drugs to Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, and Washington revealed that the two sentenced today, along with 11 others, were involved in trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl-laced counterfeit OxyContin pills, and heroin. Approximately 7 pounds of cocaine, 2 pounds of heroin, 137 pounds of methamphetamine, and over 34,000 pills containing fentanyl were seized, as well as $142,000 in cash.

This case was the product of an investigation by the High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA), composed of personnel from the FBI, the California DOJ, Homeland Security Investigations, the Fresno Police Department, the Sheriff’s Offices of Fresno, Tulare, and Kings Counties, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, and the CHP.

Fresno man sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm in connection with selling fentanyl

Armando Chavez Jr., 22, of Fresno, was sentenced to five years in prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, Chavez sold counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl on Snapchat, a social media platform. After a nonfatal overdose was reported, federal law enforcement agents working in an undercover capacity contacted Chavez and ordered oxycodone pills from him. Chavez agreed to sell the pills and drove to a predetermined meeting location. Once he arrived, Chavez and his car were searched, and law enforcement found approximately 100 fentanyl pills. Agents then executed a federal search warrant at Chavez’s residence. Inside his bedroom, law enforcement found over 1,300 fentanyl pills packaged for distribution and a loaded handgun.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, and the Fentanyl Overdose Response Team. The case was part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.

Two sentenced for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in EDCA and Oregon

Adrian Arredondo Alvarado, 34, of Orosi, was sentenced today to eight years and seven months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana. Ivan Vasquez, 35, of Oregon, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Alvarado was the main target of a lengthy federal investigation into a drug trafficking ring. During the investigation, Alvarado was identified as a large-scale methamphetamine and marijuana distributor as well as a marijuana cultivator. Alvarado negotiated and then supplied over 5 kilograms of methamphetamine to Vasquez, who traveled from Oregon into the Eastern District of California to obtain that methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute to others in Oregon. Alvarado directed other co-defendants to go to Southern California to obtain the drugs and another to collect Vasquez’s drug payment. Alvarado was growing a substantial amount of marijuana. During a search of Alvarado’s residence, officers seized a stolen handgun, ammunition, and a half kilogram of marijuana. On the other properties that Alvarado used for marijuana cultivation, officers found over 400 marijuana plants, nine firearms, and several hundred kilograms of processed marijuana.

Co-defendant Alexis Melchor-Guzman, 30, of Orosi, was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and co-defendant Adrian Lopez, 39, of Orange Cove, was sentenced to one year in prison for maintaining a drug-involved premises.

This case was the product of an investigation by the DEA with assistance from the Visalia Police Department and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted these cases.

FRESNO, Calif. — Shawn Sawa, 47, formerly of Clovis, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in stealing millions of dollars’ worth of canola from international food processors. Canola is commonly used to make livestock feed.

According to court documents, from 2015 through 2017, Sawa and Richard Best stole $4.8 million worth of canola from the food processors. They then sold the canola for a windfall. Sawa and Best carried out the scheme through Best’s now defunct train-to-truck transloading company, Richard Best Transfer Inc. (RBT). A transloading company transfers commodities from one mode of transportation to another mode. The victim food processors sent hundreds of thousands of tons of their canola to RBT for delivery to their customers. Sawa was the manager of a victim food processor’s branch office in Fresno and had a close relationship with Best.

Sawa and Best sold the stolen canola through an acquaintance in Texas who used to work in the livestock-feed industry. The acquaintance sold the stolen canola to farms and dairies and distributed the proceeds according to Best’s instructions. This included wire transfers to Sawa, RBT, and Best’s bank accounts. The account that Sawa used was opened in his spouse’s name to try to conceal the scheme.

Throughout the scheme, Sawa and Best caused RBT to email fraudulent inventory reports to the victim food processors representing that RBT had certain amounts of their canola in-stock when, in fact, RBT had significantly lesser amounts. Sawa and Best used the proceeds from the scheme to purchase luxury homes and multiple vehicles, take trips, hire private karate teachers, and cover RBT’s operating expenses, among other expenses.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.

Sawa is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Sawa faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Best was also charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The charges against him are pending and are only allegations. He is presumed innocent until and unless he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Richard Jason Mountford, formerly of Monterey County, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to file false claims against the United States, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to investigating and prosecuting tax fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Fraudulent tax preparation schemes utilizing false and inflated deductions cost the government millions of dollars each year.”

“Mr. Mountford defrauded the U.S. government and every American taxpayer through this selfish scheme,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “Our CI special agents are the best in the world at following the money to find evidence for conviction, a lesson Mr. Mountford learned the hard way.”

According to court documents, from 2016 to 2020, Mountford conspired with another individual to submit false individual income tax returns seeking refunds to which they were not entitled. Mountford and his co-conspirator filed income tax returns in their own names, as well as in the names of two other unwitting individuals, that falsely reported they were employed by a company, received wages from that company, and had federal taxes withheld from those wages, fraudulently claiming a refund was due. Most of the returns filed as part of the scheme also falsely reported alimony payments in an effort to increase the refund amount.

Based on these fraudulent returns, the IRS issued $873,723 in unwarranted refunds to the co-conspirators. Mountford deposited $757,075 of these fraud proceeds into his own bank accounts and subsequently purchased nearly $360,000 worth of new cars. He also distributed to his co-conspirator about $170,000 in cash and gold bars for his role in the scheme.

This case is the product of an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorneys John C. Gerardi and Charles A. O’Reilly of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma are prosecuting the case.

Mountford is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on April 11, 2024. Mountford faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pat Brady, 53, of Lake Forest, pleaded guilty today to murder in aid of racketeering as part of a long-running investigation into the California Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between 2011 and 2016, Aryan Brotherhood (AB) members and associates engaged in racketeering activity, committing multiple acts involving murder, conspiracies to murder, and drug trafficking crimes. The charges allege that AB members oversaw a significant heroin and methamphetamine trafficking operation from their California prison cells using smuggled cellphones to direct drug trafficking activities, order murders, and oversee other criminal activities inside and outside of the prisons.

According to the plea agreement, on July 28, 2018, Brady murdered an inmate at High Desert Prison as part of an AB-related killing. Brady admitted that he committed the murder because the victim falsely claimed to be an AB member and had run up a significant drug debt at his previous prison — both violations of the AB’s expected codes of conduct. Brady willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, murdered the victim in order to maintain his status within the gang.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Vallejo Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Hitt, Ross Pearson, and David Spencer are prosecuting the case.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller is scheduled to sentence Brady on March 25, 2024. Brady faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Four remaining defendants, Ronald Yandell, Billy Sylvester, Danny Troxell, and Jason Corbett are scheduled for trial in February 2024. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.