Big Valley News
Central Valley's Independent News Source
MADERA – Thanks to one particular reader of Big Valley News the suspect in a recent rash of mail thefts on Madera’s Westside has now been identified. James “Skyy” Vasquez (19) was identified by his mother following seeing his photos on our Facebook page.
Big Valley News shared the information with Madera Police Wednesday evening only to learn the next morning the suspect was arrested overnight by Fresno Police on car theft charges and an active warrant for domestic violence.
FRESNO - On Monday, Devone Johnson, 32, and Anthony Thomas, 26, pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, on October 9, 2016, Johnson and Thomas possessed an Uzi Model A, 9 mm rifle. Thomas was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous felony conviction. Johnson was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
Johnson and Thomas were arrested on November 3, 2016, along with 18 other defendants following a year-long multi-agency investigation that targeted criminal street gangs in Fresno. Other defendants also have pleaded guilty to various firearms and drug offenses, including:
FRESNO - U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced Michael Galloway, 63, of Bakersfield, to 21 months in prison for tax evasion, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Galloway was ordered to surrender to serve his sentence beginning on November 14, 2018.
On March 21, 2018, a jury in Fresno returned a guilty verdict today, convicting on four counts of tax evasion. Galloway owns and operates the website, Catholic Online. According to court documents, Galloway generated revenue by selling advertising and hosting to faith-based businesses.
FRESNO - Sandra Haar, 57, of Merced, pleaded guilty today to health care fraud and conspiracy to receive kickbacks, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Haar was the founder and chief executive officer of Horisons Unlimited, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that provided health and dental services in Merced and surrounding communities.
According to court documents, between January 1, 2014, and March 2017, Haar orchestrated a scheme to bill Medicare and Medi-Cal for services she knew were not reimbursable, and she profited by over $3.7 million from her fraud. For example, Haar billed Medi‑Cal for health and dental services that were not rendered and for unnecessary health care services. She also billed Medi-Cal for office visits with purportedly licensed doctors when the patients instead were dispensed Suboxone, an opioid medication, in the parking lots of McDonald’s and Rite Aid in baggies.
MADERA – A Clovis man died Saturday evening following a crash in the 21st lap of the 360 Super Modified at the Madera Speedway. Donnie Large Sr. was leading the four car race while coming down the front straightaway it appeared as though his car lost power.
Large coasted around turns one and two as the car slowed down and hit the turn two wall and turned left to slowly came down the track until it stopped against the inside retaining wall after making contact with third place driver Lance Jackson.
FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Kalif Eban Bess, 43, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, on May 5, 2018, a .357 revolver with six live rounds was discovered in Bess’s backpack. Bess was prohibited from possessing a firearm based on prior felony convictions.
This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McKeon is prosecuting the case.
SACRAMENTO - Starsheka Mixon, 35, of Pinole, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to three years and one month in prison for a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. “The defendants used taxpayer information to enrich themselves by submitting false tax returns to the IRS,” said Tara Sullivan, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation. “This scheme went on for three years and victimized innocent taxpayers and the government. Identity theft can have a negative financial impact on taxpayers and can take years to repair. Taxpayers must be careful who they share their personally identifiable information with when choosing a tax return preparer.”
According to court documents, between January 2011 and June 2013, Mixon and co‑defendant Denna Chambers, 35, of Fairfield, conspired together and with others to fraudulently obtain tax refunds by filing false tax returns in the names of other people with the Internal Revenue Service. The tax returns included false statements about the taxpayers’ income, dependents, and occupations in order to obtain refunds and tax credits to which the taxpayers were not entitled, including the Earned Income Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit. Some of the fraudulent tax returns used the name and personal information of individuals without their knowledge or consent.
