News

Former Water District General Manager Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Water Theft

FRESNO - Dennis Falaschi, 78, of Aptos, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiring to take federally owned water and one count of filing a false tax return, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, from 1992 through approximately April 2015, Falaschi was the general manager for a public water district in Fresno and Merced Counties (PWD) that sold water to farmers with over 38,000 acres of farmland. PWD obtained water that it sold by purchasing water from the federal government and collecting drainage water from farms.

Fresno Man Indicted for Throwing Methamphetamine into Mendota Prison Yard

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Garrett Scott Wheelen, 33, of Fresno, charging him with possessing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on May 1, 2024, Wheelen arrived at the Federal Correctional Institution Mendota wearing a facemask, baseball cap, and hoodie to conceal his identity. In broad daylight, Wheelen ran to the prison fence and tossed four packages into the prison’s recreation yard. He was quickly apprehended after attempting to flee. The packages contained over 3 pounds of methamphetamine.

Postal Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Suspected Drug Parcels

FRESNO - Nathan Vaughn Southard, 34, of Visalia, pleaded guilty Monday to theft of mail by a postal service employee, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Southard was a Tulare Main Post Office employee. On Oct. 19, 2023, he stole a parcel from the post office because he believed it contained marijuana and intended to sell it for a profit. Southard admitted that over the past seven years, he had stolen parcels worth approximately $50,000.

Tulare County Man Indicted for Receiving Child Pornography

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Boyce Isaiah Cervantez, 27, of Dinuba, charging him with receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following his arrest.

According to court documents, between March 1, 2024, and March 16, 2024, Cervantez received at least one visual depiction of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Sexually Violent Predator Prisoner Released to Madera County by Judge Stephanie Jamieson

MADERA COUNTY - The Madera County Sheriff’s Office has been made aware that on May 16, 2024, Judge Stephanie Jamieson of the Merced Superior Court ruled Ciro Camacho should no longer be classified as a Sexually Violent Predator and ordered him released from the California State Hospital, despite opposing evidence presented by the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.

Camacho was convicted of multiple counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under 14 in 1993. Upon release, Camacho indicated that he would be residing in Madera County.

Three More Aryan Brotherhood Prison Gang Members Convicted of RICO Charges

SACRAMENTO - Following a nine-week trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, three members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang were found guilty of racketeering activity that included murder and drug trafficking, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

A federal jury found California State Prison Sacramento inmate Ronald Yandell, 61, guilty of one count of murder in aid of racketeering for the murder of Hugo Pinell, conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity, five counts of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering for the murders of Kenneth Johnson, James Mickey, Paul Diaz, Michael Trippe, and Doug Maynard; two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin; five counts of distribution of heroin; and one count of distribution of methamphetamine.

Fresno Man Indicted for Receiving Child Pornography

FRESNO - On May 2, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Timothy Austin Panuco, 34, of Fresno, charging him with receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following his arrest today.

According to court documents, between Feb. 1, 2023, and March 22, 2024, Panuco received material depicting at least one or more minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.