News

FRESNO -  A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment today against Bakersfield residents Wilfredo Medina-Perez, 31; Uriel Ivan Portillo, 33; and Rojelio “Roy” Garcia, 47, charging them with various drug trafficking crimes involving the distribution of fentanyl, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, between Feb. 11 and Nov. 21, Medina-Perez sold more than 8,000 fentanyl pills and 1 pound of methamphetamine to an undercover officer. Portillo, who was working with Medina-Perez, delivered 5,000 fentanyl pills to the undercover officer. Garcia obtained fentanyl from Medina-Perez with the intention of distributing the drug to his customers in the Bakersfield area.

FRESNO -  Jarvis Thomas, 34, of Bakersfield, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale A. Drozd today to 320 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between Sept. 27, 2017, and Sept. 11, 2018, Thomas conspired with others to possess and distribute methamphetamine in Bakersfield and North Dakota.

MADERA – Area residents interested in applying for a REAL ID can take advantage of a special event this weekend at the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Madera field office. The DMV’s “REAL ID Saturday” event in Madera on December 7 will be dedicated exclusively to processing REAL ID applications.

Customers can stop by the office at their convenience (no appointments) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and must complete the online REAL ID application at eDLapp.dmv.ca.gov before their visit. DMV offices in Fresno, Clovis, Merced, and Visalia are among the more than 60 offices statewide that serve customers every Saturday, and customers can visit one of those offices for other services on December 7, as well as apply for a REAL ID.

FRESNO -  Dallas John Fonseca, 43, of Visalia, pleaded guilty today to felony theft in Kings Canyon National Park, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, on Feb. 9, someone who worked within Kings Canyon National Park gave a jewelry purse to the manager of the John Muir Lodge for safekeeping.

The manager placed the purse inside a locked drawer. Sometime between Feb. 9 and March 11, Fonseca, who worked in the Lodge, stole the jewelry and a Rolex watch that was inside the purse. Fonseca was arrested after he was captured on surveillance footage selling the Rolex to a local pawn shop.

FRESNO -  Raymond Cawthorne, 57, of Valley Springs, pleaded guilty today to embezzlement of public funds, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, between May 2015 and Oct. 2016, Cawthorne embezzled over $14,000 belonging to the Keep Your Home California (KYHC) Program.

KYHC was a federally funded program launched in response to the 2008 financial crisis that provided eligible homeowners with temporary mortgage assistance so that they could avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. The KYHC program was part of a broader effort by the federal government to stabilize the nation’s housing market where states with the most distressed markets received federal monies to develop locally-tailored foreclosure prevention solutions.

FRESNO -  On November 22, 2019, federal authorities arrested Miguel Deniz, 29, of Farmersville, who is charged in a three-count indictment with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of firearms, and possession of a machinegun, United States Attorney McGregor Scott announced. 

Deniz ordered four “auto-sear” devices over the internet to his home address. Auto-sear devices are used to convert semi-automatic firearms to fire like fully automatic machineguns. The package was intercepted by law enforcement, and on May 1, 2019, law enforcement officers conducted a controlled delivery of the package to Deniz’s residence.