News

MADERA - Madera Unified School District has received nearly 50 acres from King Husein, CEO of SPAN Construction & Engineering, Inc. The property is located on the south side of West Cleveland Avenue between Avenue 16 and North Westberry Boulevard in the city of Madera.

The vacant lot, which is valued at nearly 9 million dollars, is set to be a future site for a K-8 school pending a review by the California Department of Education and the California Environmental Quality Act. If approved, Madera Unified intends to honor the donor by granting naming rights of "King Husein School" subject to the school board's final discretion in constructing the project.

COARSEGOLD  - The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians announced today the grand opening of the new SONIC Drive-In at the Chukchansi Crossing Fuel Station & Travel Center—a state-of-the-art development that serves more than 750,000 visitors annually. The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians (PRCI) locally owns the Coarsegold SONIC, which brings a one-of-a-kind dining experience to the community and provides the highest level of service featuring a drive-thru and comfortable indoor dining.

With the new SONIC, PRCI is creating 55 new jobs for the local community – with about 90% of employees coming from Madera County – and is expected to contribute significant revenue annually to the local economy.

BAKERSFIELD - After a one–day bench trial, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer L. Thurston found Jason E. Murchison, 37, of Huntington Beach, guilty today of one count of operating an unpermitted business on National Forest land, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to evidence presented at trial, Murchison operated an unpermitted snowboard-instructing service on Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, within the Inyo National Forest. In February 2020, an undercover operation revealed that Murchison was the principal operator of Learn to Snowboard and advertised paid lessons on a website www.learntosnowboardbb.com. Neither Learn to Snowboard nor Murchison had a special use authorization from the U.S. Forest Service to operate on Forest Service lands.

FRESNO - Patrick Maldonado, 46, of Madera, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in November 2018, Maldonado coordinated with Tan Minh Vo, 48, of San Jose, to send two shipments of marijuana to Halen Frazier, 34, of Kingsville, Missouri. The first shipment was seized from Frazier during a traffic stop after Tien Van Phan, 56, of Milpitas, delivered 92 pounds of marijuana to him in two suitcases at a hotel in Kansas City.

Later, agents intercepted calls between Maldonado, co-defendant Elias Zambrano Jr., 41, of Fresno, and Frazier in which they discussed the shipment of 384 pounds of marijuana to Frazier in Kansas City. Maldonado and Zambrano had packed the load in the trailer of a truck driven by co-defendant David McGowan, of Kansas City. Arizona State Troopers discovered the marijuana and $1,629 in cash after a traffic stop.

FRESNO  -  A federal grand jury brought a six-count indictment against Cecilia Aquino, 34, of Fresno, today charging her with mail fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft for submitting unemployment insurance claims and applications for Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury and Disaster Loans using stolen identities, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from June through November 2020, Aquino submitted unemployment benefit claims in at least seven states and at least four loan applications that contained misrepresentations. She claimed that the named individuals last worked as self‑employed dancers and owned interior design businesses and that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they lost their jobs and business revenue, respectively.

FRESNO - Anthony Rodriguez, aka Anthony Rito Lara, 34, of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, in September and October 2020, Rodriguez used a cellphone to create approximately 49 videos and 51 images of a child under 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Rodriguez distributed some of these videos over the internet, including one video in which he engages in a sex act with the child.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Modesto Police Department, and assistance was provided by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Alexandre M. Dempsey are prosecuting the case.