KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii – Airman Apprentice Crisol Reyes, a native of Madera, California, serves with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 37, operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The squadron’s primary mission is to conduct sea control operations in open-ocean and coastal environments. This includes hunting for submarines, searching for surface targets over the horizon, and conducting search and rescue operations.Reyes, a 2014 Madera South High School graduate, joined the Navy one year ago. “In my civilian life, I was working several jobs and barely had time to enjoy life,” said Reyes. "I joined the Navy for a better life and to have a place of my own and a career."
Kern County Man Pleads Guilty to Large-Scale Methamphetamine Conspiracy
FRESNO - Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 37, a Mexican national residing in Arvin, pleaded guilty today to 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 for distribution 26 pounds of methamphetamine to co-defendants Jorge Calderon-Campos, 42, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, and Mark Garcia, 23, of Bakersfield. During a traffic stop, law enforcement officers later seized the drug from Garcia’s vehicle.
According to court documents, the transaction was one of many 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 separate indictment with violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
Frosty Queen Burglarized by Southern California Frequent Flyer Criminal
MADERA – Madera Police responded to a report of a silent alarm at the Frosty Queen Restaurant on North Gateway Drive Thursday night. Police discovered the restaurant had just been broken into, and the safe was removed from the property. A quick search of the area uncovered a suspect hiding in the bushes along Freeway 99.
Suspect Dache Kelly, Jr. (23) of Riverside, California, told police he knew nothing of the burglary and was just trying to nap in the bushes while traveling through Madera. His story might have worked if it were not for the digital surveillance system the restaurant employs that produced high-definition photos of Kelly in the restaurant and breaking into the office to remove the safe.
Ten MS-13 Members and Associates Indicted for Gang-Related Murders and Racketeering
FRESNO - A seven-count superseding indictment was unsealed today, charging 10 MS‑13 members and associates with a RICO conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
“When reports surfaced that MS-13 had established a presence in the City of Mendota in the Central Valley, a multi-agency investigation was launched,” U.S. Attorney Talbert said. “Today’s announcement is a direct result of the arrests in 2018 of 25 individuals on federal and state charges in connection with their Mara Salvatrucha (MS‑13) gang activities. One of the highest priorities of my office and of the federal law enforcement agencies we work with is to partner with the police departments, sheriff’s offices, and district attorneys in our district to reduce violent crime.”
Three Fresno County Residents Indicted for Conspiracy to Sell 6.5 Pounds of Fentanyl Pills
FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Gilberto Arteaga, 41, of Fresno; Juan Castro, 48, of Sanger; and Shannon Calhoun, 53, of Sanger, charging them with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in the spring of 2023, law enforcement began investigating Arteaga for suspicion of trafficking fentanyl. The investigation revealed a connection between Arteaga and a car owned by Calhoun that had made several, same day, quick trips into Mexico and back to California. On July 15, 2023, Calhoun’s car crossed into Mexico and then hours later back into California.
California Truck Parts Manufacturer Pays $1 Million After Pleading Guilty to Conspiracy and for Manufacturing and Selling Illega Parts
SACRAMENTO - Diesel performance parts manufacturer Sinister Mfg. Company Inc. – doing business as “Sinister Diesel” – pleaded guilty to criminal charges today in federal court and agreed to pay a total of $1 million in criminal fines and civil penalties. The company also agreed to implement a compliance program and not to manufacture, sell or install any device that defeats a vehicle’s emissions controls.
Sinister Diesel pleaded guilty to a two-count Information, charging it with conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA) and defraud the United States and with violating the CAA by tampering with the monitoring device of an emissions control system of a diesel truck. Under the plea agreement, the defendant agrees to pay a $500,000 criminal fine.
North Fork Man Arrested for Possession and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery
NORTH FORK - Madera County Sheriff’s Detectives received a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) through the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) regarding the possession and distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery that was uploaded to the internet in Madera County.
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