FRESNO -  Dallas John Fonseca, 43, of Visalia, pleaded guilty today to felony theft in Kings Canyon National Park, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, on Feb. 9, someone who worked within Kings Canyon National Park gave a jewelry purse to the manager of the John Muir Lodge for safekeeping.

The manager placed the purse inside a locked drawer. Sometime between Feb. 9 and March 11, Fonseca, who worked in the Lodge, stole the jewelry and a Rolex watch that was inside the purse. Fonseca was arrested after he was captured on surveillance footage selling the Rolex to a local pawn shop.

This case is the product of an investigation by the National Park Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.

Fonseca is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Feb. 24, 2020.  Fonseca faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.