FRESNO - Sherman Smith, 74, of Monterey, was sentenced today to seven years and three months in prison and ordered to pay $2,187,000 in restitution for a scheme that defrauded church congregants and others, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. In sentencing Smith, U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd said, “Mr. Smith is a con-man and a thief.”
“Smith’s actions, in this case, went far beyond ‘misappropriation,’” said U.S. Attorney Scott. “In asking for church donations to support his scheme, he targeted widows for their deceased husband’s life insurance money; he asked for money to be withdrawn from retirements accounts; he damaged marriages and family relationships; he took away parents’ dreams of affording college for their children, and he destroyed lives. Today’s sentence is the second federal sentence for Smith, who previously served 37 months in prison for securities fraud that caused a loss of over $5 million with 38 different victims. Our office is committed to protecting the public from financial predators like Smith.”
Bakersfield Man Indicted for Unauthorized Transfers of more than $450,000 from A Victim’s Bank Account to a Brokerage Account He Controlled
FRESNO - Ramon Armendariz, Jr., 33, of Bakersfield, was indicted on Oct. 15, 2020, and charged with multiple counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Armendariz unlawfully obtained personal identifying information and bank account information of the victim, S.L., which he used to open a brokerage account in the victim’s name. Armendariz used S.L.’s personal bank accounts to fund the brokerage account. Armendariz listed himself as an authorized check writer on the brokerage account in order to access the funds when the transfers to the brokerage account were completed. Armendariz’s scheme unraveled when S.L. discovered the unauthorized transfers and notified the financial institution, resulting in a freeze of the funds in the brokerage account.
Former Fresno IRS Employee Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Tax Fraud
FRESNO - A former employee of the IRS working in Fresno was sentenced today to six years in prison for a scheme to receive tax refunds by filing false tax returns using the stolen identities of at-risk youths, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
On Dec. 12, 2019, a federal jury found Marcela Heredia, 47, of Riverside, guilty of seven counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of making a false tax return.
More than 60 Aryan Brotherhood Gang Members and Associates Arrested for Violent Crime, Firearms, Fraud, and Drug Trafficking
FRESNO - As part of a multi-agency operation, more than 60 individuals associated with the Aryan Brotherhood were arrested in California, Nevada, and Montana on federal and state charges in connection with their gang activities, including violent crimes, illegal firearms trafficking and possession, and drug trafficking.
The charges were announced today by U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman of the ATF’s San Francisco Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office, and Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims.
Former Correctional Officer Charged with Civil Rights Violations for Assaulting Inmates
SACRAMENTO - A former California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) correctional officer was charged today with criminal civil rights violations and submitting false reports, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
A federal grand jury in Sacramento returned an indictment against Arturo Pacheco, 38, of Mather, charging him with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of falsification of records in a federal investigation.
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