⏱ 2 min read
Gilberto Barron, a 26-year-old from Delano and Las Vegas, has pleaded guilty to participating in a nearly $10 million real estate fraud scheme in California’s Central Valley. Between 2021 and 2022, Barron and others conspired with federal inmate Seth Depiano, 44, to commit the fraud. Depiano, who was serving a 12-year prison sentence for a prior multimillion-dollar fraud, helped create fake identities for supposed real estate agents and shell companies.
The scammers used these fake identities and shell companies to market properties online that were not actually for sale to would-be buyers in California’s Central Valley and elsewhere at discounted prices. They even targeted properties where the actual owners had died. Barron and others would meet with the buyers, close the sales, and present them with fabricated deeds, title reports, and other real estate documents.
After getting the would-be buyers’ money, the scammers laundered the funds primarily through Las Vegas casinos. They would put large amounts of money into gaming machines and quickly cash out with little to no gaming activity, trying to hide the fact that the money was proceeds from their fraudulent scheme. The money was then used to purchase properties for their own benefit.
Barron is scheduled to be sentenced on September 28, 2026, and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for the counts of wire fraud and money laundering. The case highlights the elaborate schemes used by fraudsters to deceive innocent buyers and the importance of law enforcement efforts to combat such crimes.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: California
- Location: CA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
