Local News

Siskiyou Man Convicted of Bribery of a Public Official, Conspiracy to Commit Bribery, and Manufacturing More than 100 Marijuana Plants

SACRAMENTO - On March 18, 2022, a federal jury convicted Chi Meng Yang, 36, of Montague, of bribery of a public official, conspiracy to commit bribery, and manufacturing more than 100 marijuana plants, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to evidence presented at trial, the charges arose from a four-month effort by Yang and Gaosheng Laitinen, Yang’s sister and co-defendant, to bribe Sheriff Jon Lopey, the elected sheriff of Siskiyou County, not to enforce a county ordinance banning outdoor marijuana grows.

On May 17, 2017, Yang met with Sheriff Lopey and offered a million-dollar donation to the charity of the sheriff’s choice in exchange for the sheriff’s “friendship” and help with a lobbying effort to legalize medical marijuana in Missouri. Yang, a Siskiyou County resident, also purported to represent a group of local cannabis farmers. Yang’s exact intentions were unclear, but Sheriff Lopey suspected that the mention of “friendship” implied some kind of improper law enforcement assistance. Sheriff Lopey called the FBI.

Nevada Woman Pleads Guilty to Hiring Hitman on Dark Web to Kill Ex-Husband

SACRAMENTO - Kristy Lynn Felkins, 37, of Fallon, Nevada, pleaded guilty today to the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Felkins admitted that she sent 12 bitcoin (valued at approximately $5,000 at the time) to a dark web hitman website, known as Besa Mafia, to have her ex-husband murdered.

From February to May 2016, Felkins regularly communicated with the administrator of the site to pay and arrange for the murder of her ex-husband. Felkins gave the administrator the specific location of her husband in an attempt to have him murdered.

Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

FRESNO - John Perry, 64, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in February 2020, Perry received child pornography onto a cellphone. He has a previous conviction for rape of a child in the first degree in Washington state.

Perry is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on June 27, 2022. Perry faces a minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 40 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.

Five Arrested in Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy Involving 500+ Firearms Shipped from Georgia to California, Sold on Black Market in California

FRESNO - A federal grand jury indicted five individuals today charging them with a conspiracy to bring firearms from Georgia to California in order to sell them on the black market, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. On March 11, 2022, the five defendants were arrested. They are Jerrell Lawson, 31, of Sacramento; Aisha Hoggatt, 29, of Sacramento; Malek Williams, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia; Terrence Phillips, 39, of Union City; and James Gordley, 32, of Modesto.

All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to unlawfully deal in firearms and unlawful dealing in firearms for their part in this firearms trafficking scheme. Lawson, Hoggatt, Williams and Phillips are also charged with transferring a firearm to an out-of-state resident, and unlawful mailing of a firearm. Lawson is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Outstanding Shooting Suspect Identified - Madera Woman Survives Attack

MADERA - On Thursday shortly after 5:30 pm, the Madera County Sheriff’s Communications Center received a 911 call regarding a possible shooting in the 24000 block of Ingomar Drive in Madera.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they located an adult female victim suffering from multiple, non-life-threatening, gunshot wounds. Medical aid was rendered until EMS arrived on the scene and transported her to the Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno for treatment of her injuries.