Local News

Fresno Escapee Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

FRESNO - Samuel Delacruz, 38, of Fresno, was sentenced today to eight years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, in 2017, Delacruz was serving the remainder of his federal sentence for a 2013 conviction at Turning Point Fresno Residential Reentry Center. On Oct. 15, 2017, he failed to return to the center as required following a day pass. A U.S. Marshals Service warrant was issued, but his whereabouts remained unknown for over five months.

Tulare County Man Indicted for Falsely Marketing Herbal Mixtures as FDA-Approved Treatment for COVID-19

FRESNO - A Porterville man was arrested today after a federal grand jury returned a five‑count indictment on July 9, charging him with mail fraud and introducing a misbranded drug into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to the indictment, Huu Tieu, 58, is the president and chief executive officer of Golden Sunrise Pharmaceutical Inc. and Golden Sunrise Nutraceutical Inc., both headquartered in Porterville. From at least April 25 to July 9, through his companies, Tieu marketed and sold a package of herbal mixtures dubbed the “Emergency D-Virus Plan of Care,” which he claimed treated COVID-19.

Mexican National Sentenced to 10 years in Prison for Poly-Drug Distribution Conspiracy

FRESNO - Francisco Alcantar-Miranda, aka Paquin, 31, of Mexico, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture, to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd, who sentenced Alcantar, also ordered the forfeiture of a handgun and approximately $18,000 in cash.

On Feb. 2, Alcantar pleaded guilty and acknowledged that he assisted in manufacturing methamphetamine and storing large quantities of other drugs at an unoccupied residence in Madera. At the end of January 2019, detectives of the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Narcotic Enforcement Team (MADNET) executed a search warrant at the residence and found Alcantar, along with two other men, Oscar Rene Marrot-Garcia, 27, of Chowchilla, and Jose Monge-Ponce, 31, of Mexico. The detectives also found over 10 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 pound of heroin, 1 pound of cocaine, and 25 pounds of marijuana.

Madera County Man Charged with Marijuana Cultivation Operation in the Sierra National Forest

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against a Madera County man for a marijuana cultivation operation that consisted of over 1,000 marijuana plants grown in the Carter Creek watershed drainage network in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

The five-count indictment charged Carson Shane Wilhite, 41, of Ahwahnee, with conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, damaging public lands and natural resources, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a methamphetamine user in possession of firearms.

Chowchilla Mother Gunned Down by Estranged Husband

MADERA - A Chowchilla man has been booked into the Madera County Department of Corrections for the killing of his estranged wife. On Tuesday around 2:30 PM Madera Police Officers responded to a call of shots fired at the Camarena Health Clinic in the 500 block of East Almond Avenue.

When police arrived at the scene they discovered a female victim who suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. According to Madera Police, the suspect followed the victim to the clinic where she was shot multiple times while trying to protect her children.