Local News

Madera Community College Has First On Campus President

MADERA - A new and exciting chapter has begun at Madera and Oakhurst Community College Centers, as Angel Reyna takes over as president of both campuses today. Mr. Reyna comes to MCCC from Renton Technical College, where he served as vice president of instruction in Washington state since December of 2015.

Prior to that, he served as dean of workforce education at Walla Walla Community College and director for workforce education, interim industry coordinator, and ESL adjunct instructor at Yakima Valley Community College. Angel Reyna is the first on-campus president in school history.

Three Plead Guilty to Tax Fraud Conspiracy that Sought Nearly $1 Million in Fraudulent Tax Refunds

ACRAMENTO - Sequoiya D. Harris, 35, former resident of Sacramento and Stockton; John A. Owens Jr., 32, of Sacramento; and Dionne Thomas, 53, of Galt, pleaded guilty today to participating in a federal tax refund fraud conspiracy, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, from at least February 2009 through April 2013, Harris, Owens, Thomas, and co-defendant Joe E. Rodriguez Jr. conspired to submit false tax returns in the names of themselves and others to obtain tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service based on false documents and information.

The defendants used hundreds of fraudulent W-2 forms from multiple purported employers to make it appear as if the people listed on the returns worked at those companies and had portions of their wages withheld by the employers for federal tax purposes, but the W-2s, wages, and withholdings were false. The W-2s were used to seek tax refunds of the supposedly withheld wages, and as a basis to seek further tax credits.

Madera City Councilman Santos Garcia Fails to File State Financial Disclosure Forms: Four Months Late - Fine Pending

MADERA – One of Madera’s newest politicians has failed to file his financial disclosures since January of this year. As Big Valley News first reported in March of 2019, Madera City Councilman Santos Garcia has failed to file his California Form 460 despite receiving several late notices from Madera County Clerk Rebecca Martinez.

Madera County Elections Division Manager Stephanie Sibley indicated a $100 fine is in the process of being generated if the candidate does not file his disclosures and if that is also ignored the California Fair Political Practices Commission would step in with fines ranging from $2000 to $5000.

Mexican National Sentenced for Marijuana Cultivation in Protected Wilderness

FRESNO - Rodolfo Torres-Galvan, 30, (Torres), of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison for conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Torres’ sentencing follows his guilty plea entered earlier this year.

According to court documents, Torres and his co-defendants, Mauricio Vaca-Bucio (Vaca), 31, and Felipe Angeles Valdez-Colima (Valdez), 35, both Mexican nationals, were apprehended after a two-month investigation in the Kiavah Wilderness, a federally designated wilderness area in the Sequoia National Forest. Law enforcement officers saw Torres and Valdez emerge from the forest and enter a Camaro driven by Vaca. They were subsequently stopped in Weldon.

Jury Finds Fresno Man Guilty on 6 Counts of Drug and Sex Trafficking Offenses

FRESNO - On Thursday, a federal jury found Filiberto “Beto” Chavez, 37, of Fresno, guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to engage in interstate travel for prostitution and two counts of use of a facility of interstate commerce to promote prostitution, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

U.S. Attorney Scott stated: “This verdict is the result of law enforcement partners at the federal, state and local level working as one to pursue criminal gangs and their associates. We will continue to work tirelessly together to protect our communities and to hold accountable those who threaten our safety.”