Local News

René Turner Sample Wins Prestigious National Award

FRESNO - René Turner Sample, co-owner of Freedman Law and Cornwell & Sample, has been named as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), one of the premier legal associations in North America. The first female attorney from Fresno to receive this prestigious honor, Sample was inducted during the ACTL's recent annual meeting in Chicago.

"I am proud to be included among the most experienced trial lawyers in the country, and more importantly the lawyers whose careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethics and professionalism— values to which I have tried to make the foundation of my career," Sample said.

Air Force Police Officer Charged with Over $250,000 in Unemployment Insurance Fraud During the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic

FRESNO - A five-count indictment was unsealed today following the arrest of Trevon Miller, 28, a military police officer at Edwards Air Force Base, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Miller is charged with mail fraud for submitting fraudulent unemployment insurance claims in over 30 states during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. From at least April 2020 through June 2020, Miller submitted the fraudulent claims using his former identity of Trevon Rodney and told the state workforce agencies that administer the unemployment insurance system that he was unemployed when he was enlisted in the Air Force the whole time. In 2016, Miller had legally changed his last name from Rodney before he joined the Air Force. The state workforce agencies and the United States were subject to a potential loss of more than $250,000. Miller used the money for his own benefit, including making cash withdrawals.

Modesto Man Charged with Illegal Firearms Possession

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Ryan Brandon Bailey, 40, of Modesto, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 14, 2021, Bailey possessed a rifle in Modesto. Bailey was previously convicted of second-degree burglary in 2012 and being a felon in possession of ammunition in 2015 and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Gun at Fashion Fair Mall

FRESNO - Chhoun Douring, 35, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on May 6, 2021, at approximately 3:30 p.m., officers on patrol at Fashion Fair Mall in Fresno approached Douring. Douring admitted to carrying a firearm in a shoulder pouch. Officers seized the firearm, a loaded Ruger semi-automatic 9 mm handgun. Douring is a convicted felon having previously been convicted of second degree robbery and is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting over 100 Pounds of Methamphetamine

FRESNO - Randal Jason Newell, 41, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 5, 2020, Newell drove from Bakersfield to Mexico to obtain and smuggle narcotics from Mexico to Bakersfield, which he agreed to do for $7,000. On Dec. 7, 2020, Newell drove to the San Ysidro port of entry crossing from Mexico into the United States. Law enforcement officers inspected Newell’s vehicle at the border crossing and discovered approximately 98 packages containing approximately 111 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the vehicle’s gas tank, the rear compartment wall, the driver- and passenger-side exterior frame pillars, and underneath the floor.