News

FRESNO - David Moreno Florez, 28, of Taft, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 12 years in prison for illegally cultivating marijuana in a national forest and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that offense, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in July 2019, law enforcement officers located a clandestine marijuana grow site in Sequoia National Forest in Fresno County. On Aug. 2, 2019, officers hiked into the grow site, where they found and arrested Marino Cruz Diaz and Moreno Florez, who was carrying a loaded, AR-15 style rifle.

FRESNO  -   A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Brian Thomas Whitworth, 38, of Visalia, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, officers were investigating a vehicle theft reported by Whitworth, but upon reviewing his home’s surveillance footage, they saw that Whitworth had fired a rifle during the theft. Officers recovered a rifle matching the description of the rifle Whitworth was seen firing in the surveillance footage. In jail calls, Whitworth admitted to knowledge of the firearm and also discussed his gang membership. Whitworth was previously convicted of felonies, including assault with a deadly weapon and vehicle theft, and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

MADERA - Remember the days of the local community fair, where folks competed to be recognized for the best homemade jelly or the biggest home-grown pumpkin? Where you could watch the 4H and FFA kids collect ribbons for the animals and projects they had been working on all year? You could shop all the vendor booths for items you can only find at the fair, and there were always fun carnival rides and midway games to play. Not to mention treating yourself to all the corndogs and cotton candy you could eat. Well, the good news is it is that time again!

The Madera District Fair kicks off its four-day run on September 8^th. All your favorite fair foods will be on sale from local service clubs and vendors. How long has it been since you have had a Jumbo Corndog or Frozen Banana? In addition, all your favorite fair acts will be roaming the grounds waiting to entertain you with magic, balloon animals, and music. The Midway of Fun will be back with all your favorite carnival rides and games, and let us not forget the hours of entertainment on all of the fair’s stages. This year the gate admissions during the fair will be $15 for adults over 13 years of age and $10 for seniors; kids 12 years old and younger are free when accompanied by an adult.

FRESNO -  federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment that was unsealed today charging a former Sanger Police Department officer with deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law for sexually assaulting four women with whom he interacted during the course of his duties. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Dennis Guertin of the FBI Sacramento Field Office made the announcement.

According to the indictment, on multiple occasions from August 2017 to June 2021, J. Deshawn Torrence, 38, of Corcoran, California, engaged in various forms of nonconsensual sexual conduct, ranging from directing a victim to remove her clothing without a legitimate law enforcement purpose to committing aggravated sexual abuse, all while serving as a police officer. Torrence is no longer employed by the Sanger Police Department.

SACRAMENTO  - Kenneth Ray Hawkins, 47, formerly an inmate at the Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI), a California state prison in Tracy, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scheme to defraud California and the United States, including the California Employment Development Department (EDD), by the submission of fraudulent unemployment insurance claims, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

On May 13, 2021, a federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging Hawkins; Jacqueline Marie Marquez, 35, of Barstow and Las Vegas; Alyssa Marie Jones, 34, of Barstow and Las Vegas; and Ebony Chanel Jones, 21, of Barstow, with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud. On July 25, 2022, Hawkins was additionally charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

FRESNO -  Eva Dolores Romero, 55, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, between Dec. 1, 2020, and Jan. 26, 2021, Romero’s son was an inmate at the Fresno County Jail. Romero conspired with her son and others outside of jail to smuggle methamphetamine and heroin into the jail for distribution among inmates.

The plot was unfoiled when law enforcement agents reviewed recorded jail calls and learned about the attempted smuggling set to occur on January 26. On that date, law enforcement intercepted an individual attempting to deliver athletic shoes to the jail for an inmate. The shoes were searched, and hidden compartments were found inside the shoes containing the illicit narcotics.