Local News

Bulldog Street Gang Member Involved in Hit-and-Run Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearm

FRESNO - Mario Alberto Rangel, 29, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to four years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, on Oct. 22, 2019, law enforcement officers attempted to stop Rangel for a traffic violation, but he failed to yield.

Moments later, Rangel crashed into another car, then exited his car and fled the scene on foot. Fresno Police officers eventually caught up to him and arrested him. The car that he abandoned was searched, and a loaded shotgun was found in the back seat. Rangel is prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior criminal record, including a 2018 conviction for assault with a firearm on a person.

Fresno Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Illegal Firearms Possession

FRESNO - David Vann, 29, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to nine years and two months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, Vann failed to yield to police officers during an attempted traffic stop. He then led officers on a vehicle chase, during which he failed to stop at a stop sign and stoplight, and drove southbound in the northbound lane of traffic.

After exiting the vehicle, Vann discarded a firearm in bushes in a residential area. Vann is a convicted felon prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was on post-release community supervision at the time of his arrest in this case. This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Schuh prosecuted the case.

Chowchilla Prison Inmate Charged in Two COVID-19 Unemployment Benefit Fraud Schemes

SACRAMENTO - Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been fraudulently taken in two separate schemes that targeted California Employment Development Department (EDD) unemployment insurance benefits that were intended for Californians hit hardest by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

The benefits involved billions of dollars in federal subsidies that have been significantly increased through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Former Clovis Pastor Sentenced to over 7 Years in Prison for Real Estate Development Fraud Scheme

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.