News

Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

FRESNO - John Perry, 64, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in February 2020, Perry received child pornography onto a cellphone. He has a previous conviction for rape of a child in the first degree in Washington state.

Perry is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on June 27, 2022. Perry faces a minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a $$250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Five Arrested in Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy Involving 500+ Firearms Shipped from Georgia to California, Sold on Black Market in California

FRESNO - A federal grand jury indicted five individuals today charging them with a conspiracy to bring firearms from Georgia to California in order to sell them on the black market, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. On March 11, 2022, the five defendants were arrested. They are Jerrell Lawson, 31, of Sacramento; Aisha Hoggatt, 29, of Sacramento; Malek Williams, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia; Terrence Phillips, 39, of Union City; and James Gordley, 32, of Modesto.

All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to unlawfully deal in firearms and unlawful dealing in firearms for their part in this firearms trafficking scheme. Lawson, Hoggatt, Williams and Phillips are also charged with transferring a firearm to an out-of-state resident, and unlawful mailing of a firearm. Lawson is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Outstanding Shooting Suspect Identified - Madera Woman Survives Attack

MADERA - On Thursday shortly after 5:30 pm, the Madera County Sheriff’s Communications Center received a 911 call regarding a possible shooting in the 24000 block of Ingomar Drive in Madera.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they located an adult female victim suffering from multiple, non-life-threatening, gunshot wounds. Medical aid was rendered until EMS arrived on the scene and transported her to the Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno for treatment of her injuries.

Bakersfield Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison

FRESNO - Uriel Ivan Portillo, 35, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Nov. 21, 2019, Portillo distributed 5,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in exchange for $40,000 during a controlled purchase in Bakersfield.

FBI Impersonator Guilty of Wire Fraud, Stalking

FRESNO - On Friday, March 4, 2022, after a four–day trial, a federal jury found Ivan Isho, 44, of Peoria, Arizona, guilty of two counts of wire fraud, one count of false impersonation of a federal officer, and stalking, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to evidence presented at trial, in 2016 and 2017, Isho pretended to be an FBI agent and claimed to members of the Assyrian community in Ceres that he could help them obtain visas for their family members living outside the United States.

He displayed fake FBI credentials and a gun to aid his misrepresentations to his victims. They paid him thousands of dollars, including by means of interstate wire transmission, and provided him with copies of personal family documents. However, Isho had no ability to obtain and never helped to obtain visas for the victims’ family members. Isho was never employed in any capacity by the FBI.

Former State Employee Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for $2M Scheme to Defraud the Office of AIDS

SACRAMENTO - Schenelle M. Flores, 46, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to five years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution for organizing a scheme to divert funds from the California Department of Public Health, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. She was ordered to begin serving her sentence on May 18, 2022.

According to court documents, Flores used her employment at the Office of AIDS, within the California Department of Public Health, to coordinate the fraud scheme between December 2017 and November 2018. The Office of AIDS is responsible for working on behalf of the State of California to combat the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Flores’s scheme involved directing a state contractor to make payments allegedly on behalf of the Office of AIDS and causing the contractor to charge those payments to the state.

Modesto Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Prospect Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

FRESNO - Michael Pack, 35, of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, Pack, a prospect of the Hells Angels Modesto Motorcycle Club, was part of a drug trafficking conspiracy led by Hells Angels President Randy Picchi.

The drug conspiracy involved Picchi’s wife, Tina Picchi, Michael Mize, and Michael Pack. Randy Picchi directed Tina Picchi to regularly deliver drugs to Mize and other individuals in Ceres. Randy Picchi also enlisted Pack to help obtain methamphetamine on at least one occasion. Pack was stopped by law enforcement and found to have 499 grams of methamphetamine in his possession.