Local News

Bitwise Founders Sentenced to 11 Years and 9 Years in Prison for $115 Million Fraud

FRESNO - Jake Soberal, 38, and Irma Olguin, Jr., 44, the founders and leaders of the failed Fresno-based start-up company, Bitwise Industries (“Bitwise”), were sentenced to 11 years and 9 years in prison, respectively, for defrauding people out of approximately $115,000,000, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.

“Defendants likened themselves to gods and joked about deceiving their well-intentioned investors while committing a massive fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “They lied repeatedly to pull in over $100 million to a dying business venture that they knew never had any meaningful revenue. To make themselves rich and keep up the façade, they used fabricated bank statements, false financial information, forged documents, and fake loan collateral. These sentences remind me of the hazards of such financial crimes, and my office will continue to work with the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who commit them vigorously.”

Arrest Made in Chowchilla for Possession and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material

CHOWCHILLA - The Madera County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the distribution of child sexual abuse material activity in Madera County. Detectives identified 39-year-old Chowchilla resident Ralph Contreras Jr., a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sergeant, as a suspect in the case.

On January 2, 2025, detectives, alongside the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations, executed a search warrant at a residence in the 11000 block of Muirfield Road in Chowchilla. Contreras Jr. was arrested for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material and is now in custody at the Madera County Jail.

City of Fresno Responds to CFPEA Strike Vote

FRESNO - The City of Fresno has been notified that the City of Fresno Professional Employees Association (CFPEA) membership has voted to strike following the rejection of the City’s Last, Best, and Final Offer (LBFO) presented during ongoing labor negotiations.

Negotiations for a successor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and CFPEA began on November 7, 2023, prior to the expiration of the previous agreement on December 31, 2023. Throughout 14 negotiation sessions, the City of Fresno proposed multiple offers designed to provide fair and competitive compensation to CFPEA members while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

New Oakhurst Government Center Provides One-Stop Shop Services for Mountain Community

OAKHURST - Today, Madera County Supervisors past and present, its employees, along with thousands of residents in the Mountain Communities celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of the remodeled Oakhurst Government Center

This long-awaited facility, located at 40232 Junction Drive in Oakhurst, will enhance local services, providing residents access to Public Health, Social Services, Community and Economic Development, Public Works, Water and Natural Resources and additional Madera County departments without the necessity to travel more than an hour to the Valley floor to receive services.

Fresno Man Sentenced for Embezzling Over $1.5 Million from His Employer in Nearly Decade-Long Scheme

FRESNO - Gabriel Ruiz De Chavez, 47, of Fresno, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to two years and nine months in prison for a multiyear embezzlement scheme and ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

In July 2024, Ruiz De Chavez pleaded guilty to wire fraud. According to court documents, from 2004 to 2020, he worked as an operations manager for a Fresno-based trucking company. Between 2012 and 2019, he used his position to generate fake invoices, purportedly created by genuine vendors for goods and services. He presented these fake invoices and corresponding checks made out to the real vendors with his employer’s signature. He would then deposit the checks into his own personal bank account.