News

FRESNO -  On Thursday, a federal jury convicted Marcela Heredia, 46, of Riverside, of seven counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of making a false tax return, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Heredia worked at the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s Transitional Living Center, which houses at-risk youth, until 2014. Heredia also worked at the IRS as a Tax Examiner between 2008 and 2014.

MADERA — At a special closed session meeting of the Madera County Board of Supervisors held on Friday the Thirteenth, the Board accepted the immediate resignation of County Administrative Officer, Eric Fleming. 

Fleming had offered the Board his resignation last Friday when an illegally recorded audio-taped phone call came to light following a brief sexual affair with an ex-wife of a Madera County Correctional Officer. Fleming had asked the Board to not only keep him in their employ well into the 2020 year but to also consider keeping the former CAO with the county under part-time status in a position related to economic development.

MADERA  –  Earlier today, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma visited Valley Children’s Hospital and presented the organization with a resolution recognizing the outstanding care it provides to children in California.

During her visit, Treasurer Ma toured the hospital to see firsthand the significant impact the Children’s Hospital Bond Act funding has had on Valley Children’s programs and services.

SACRAMENTO  -   On Dec. 5, a federal grand jury brought a 14-count indictment against a physician, Edmund Kemprud, of Dublin, charging him with prescribing opioids to patients outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purpose, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Kemprud was a physician licensed to practice medicine in California and maintained a medical practice in Dublin and Tracy. On 14 occasions between Sept. 6, 2018, and March 13, 2019, Kemprud allegedly prescribed highly addictive, commonly abused prescription drugs, including Hydrocodone, Alprazolam, and Oxycodone – outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purpose.

FRESNO -  Aric Matthew Salazar, 36, formerly of Clovis, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, for receipt and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to a criminal complaint, Salazar was detected by law enforcement investigators when he was sharing numerous child pornography files on a BitTorrent file-sharing network in October 2016. He admitted to investigating agents that he had used file-sharing programs for several years to obtain child pornography.

FRESNO  -   A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Ryan James Taylor, 34, of Oxnard, charging him with burglary of a U.S. Post Office, mail theft, and theft of government property, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 26, 2018, Taylor forcibly broke into the Mojave Post Office in Kern County and stole mail that had been deposited at the post office as well as a U.S. Mail Truck.