News

SACRAMENTO  -   U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Khasigian would serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of California in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the November 8 general election.

The DEO is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington, DC. In addition, Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Scott will serve as the National Security Cyber Specialist (NSCS) and is tasked with preparing for and responding to digital election threats.

FRESNO -  On Oct. 20, 2022, a federal grand jury charged Sohail Mamdani, 46, of Los Banos, with mail fraud and money laundering in connection to a disability insurance fraud scheme and unlawful use of a DEA registration number and fraudulently obtaining possession of a controlled substance, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) runs a Disability Insurance program that offers worker-funded benefits to people who meet specific requirements and have had those requirements verified by their physician or medical practitioner. Mamdani was a medical doctor operating a clinic called Walk-In Medical Clinic in Los Banos.

FRESNO -  An eight-count indictment, returned on Oct. 20, 2022, has been unsealed, charging Fresno residents Jeffrey Michalk, 43; Steve Gomez, 40; and Michael Dugan, 48, with conspiracy, theft of public money and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from June 2020 through at least January 2022, the defendants worked together to cash counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks throughout the Central Valley. These checks were cashed at various locations and were often written to appear in the names of other individuals. The defendants combined to cash or cause to be cashed at least 295 counterfeit Treasury Checks worth over $500,000 during this window.

SACRAMENTO  -   Arturo Pacheco, 40, of Elk Grove, was sentenced today to 12 years and seven months in prison for criminal civil rights violations for the on‑duty assault of two inmates entrusted to his care and for submitting false reports about those incidents in an attempt to cover them up, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

“When correctional officers deprive inmates of their civil rights and abuse their position of authority, they must be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Today’s sentence sends the message that those who violate the public’s trust by harming inmates ‘under the color of law’ or by covering up wrongdoing are not above the law.”

FRESNO  -  Charles Abieanga, 31, Viviana Cervantes, 23, and Simon Abieanga, 28, all of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to separate fraud charges, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Charles Abieanga and Viviana Cervantes, husband and wife, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for their roles in two different fraud schemes.

The first scheme involved submitting false claims to the California Employment Development Department and obtaining benefits associated with those claims. The second scheme involved impersonating a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) and defrauding hospitals by selling non-existent medical supplies, including surgical gowns and N-95 protective masks. Charles Abieanga also pleaded guilty separately to a scheme involving the sale of non-existent pets, horses, and vehicles to victims online. Charles Abieanga and Viviana Cervantes’s conduct caused actual losses of over $210,000.

FRESNO  -  Jonathan Gallegos, 32, of Ivanhoe, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana and using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, the charges arose from a long-term investigation that uncovered evidence of a scheme involving the trade of illegal drugs sourced in Mexico and California for firearms sourced in Texas. In 2021, a team of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers partnered to investigate the Tulare County Surenos Street Gang. Part of the investigation focused on Gallegos and his associates, who were involved in shipping illegal drugs and firearms across state lines.