News

Fresno Man Admits Sexual Exploitation of at Least 50 Children Through Multiple Social Media Apps

FRESNO - Jacob Blanco, 28, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, as well as one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to the plea agreement,

Blanco’s activities were discovered in March 2017 when the parents of a then six-year-old discovered that the minor had communicated with and created sexually explicit images at the request of another user on the social media application Musical.ly (now TikTok). Law enforcement investigators subsequently identified the offender as Blanco. Investigators searched Blanco’s residence and digital devices and discovered that he had successfully persuaded and coerced multiple minors to produce sexually explicit material.

There's a New Sheriff in These Parts - Varney to Move to CAO Spot with County

MADERA – Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney is no stranger to a suit and tie and the non-exciting life of a municipal administrator. He spent two years doing just that as the city manager for the city of Chowchilla when the city was going through a financial crisis. The Madera County Board of Supervisors announces today that they have extended an offer of employment for Madera County Administrative Officer (CAO) to Sheriff Jay Varney.

Board Chairman David Rogers stated, "All members of the Board feel strongly about Sheriff Varney's integrity, leadership, and commitment to making Madera County the best county in which to live, work, and play."

Graduation for Madera 2020 Seniors is Back-On in a Virtual Way to the Tune of $140,000

MADERA – The senior classes of both Madera High School and Madera South High School will have graduation after all. It might look a little different than in the past and if definitely will cost a little more than in the past. The Madera Unified Board of Trustees approved a contract between the district and Windsong Productions to develop a “high-quality keepsake video honoring the students of the graduating class of 2020” for $140,000. That price does not include stage rentals, decoration, or staffing.

Superintendent Todd Lile said to board members Tuesday, “Graduation is a major accomplishment and unfortunately, because of this unprecedented time, 2020 graduates are losing something that is fundamental to their educational experience. A live graduation also contains a specific meaning to students. Its format is what students are most familiar with. It means marking a moment with friends, family, and teachers who all have had an impact on who they are today and doing it all together, in one place. Graduation-on-video will be a much different experience and by the nature of “safer-at-home”, it will be a much more singular and passive experience.”

COOKIES: Global Cannabis Culture Leader Opens Berner's in Downtown Merced Friday

MERCED - The world's best-selling, most in-demand cannabis varieties are coming to Merced with the grand opening of Cookies' 9th and newest cannabis dispensary - Berner's Merced - located in one of the fastest-growing communities in the 209 area code.

Officially opening on May 15, 2020, this special location marks the ninth store opening for Cookies since 2018. Not only will Merced shoppers get access to the most legendary cannabis products in the world in a contemporary, licensed, and secure store; store visitors will also have the opportunity to shop an exclusive, Merced-inspired line of clothing and accessories designed by internationally-recognized lifestyle clothing brand, CookiesSF.

California Community Colleges File Federal Lawsuit Over Implementation of Emergency COVID-19 Student Assistance

SACRAMENTO – The California Community Colleges, seeking to protect hundreds of thousands of students denied eligibility to federal emergency student assistance, has filed a lawsuit to stop the U.S. Department of Education from placing arbitrary eligibility restrictions on relief funds Congress approved to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit filed Monday against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos asks the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco, to declare the Department of Education’s eligibility requirements for emergency grants to students under the CARES Act unlawful and unconstitutional and to halt their implementation.

“The Department of Education ignored the intent of the CARES Act to give local colleges discretion to aid students most affected by the pandemic, and instead has arbitrarily excluded as many as 800,000 community college students. Among those harmed are veterans, citizens who have not completed a federal financial aid application, and non-citizens, including those with DACA status,” California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley said.

El Dorado County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Distributing a Drug that Caused the Death of a Minor

SACRAMENTO - Elijah Richter, 28, of Camino, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 10 years in prison for distribution of a controlled substance known as n25i-nBOME that caused death, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, during September 2012, Richter imported hallucinogenic drugs, including a controlled substance known as n25i-nBOME, from Europe to his residence in El Dorado County by placing orders on his computer through Silk Road, a now-defunct darknet website.

Through Silk Road, Richter was able to use bitcoin currency and an anonymous interface to execute drug deals. Shortly before Sept. 8, 2012, Richter imported a number of doses of n25i‑nBOME from Europe. Richter then distributed some of that n25i-nBOME to Jesse Roberts. Roberts, in turn, distributed some of that n25i-nBOME to a juvenile male who took four doses of the n25inBOME and died as a result of an overdose on the drug.

Former Rancho Cordova Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud

SACRAMENTO - Three individuals, along with Monica Nunes, 40, of formerly of Rancho Cordova, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, Nunes and her co-defendants, Johnathon Ward and Talalima Toilolo, conspired to defraud financial institutions using a scheme called “refund fraud” or “force post refund fraud.”

This scheme exploited the merchant refund process used by businesses and retail establishments to pay back customers for returns, reimbursements, and erroneous charges. The defendants posed as merchants and executed fraudulent debit or credit card refunds, which caused the unauthorized transfer of money from a merchant bank account to an account under the defendants’ control.