Tag: Fresno
David Joseph Yama, Fentanyl and Alprazolam Distribution, California 2026
⏱ 2 min read David Joseph Yama, a 42-year-old Fresno County man, has pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl and alprazolam (Xanax) with intent to distribute, as well as gun crimes, just days before his trial was set to begin. The plea comes after a series of incidents, including a traffic stop in September 2020,…
Rodger Githens, Child Exploitation, California 2023
⏱ 2 min read Rodger Githens, a 48-year-old former university professor, was busted in a child sex sting after trying to entice a minor and distributing child abuse material in Fresno, California. In March 2023, Githens, using the profile ‘Tall laid back,’ contacted an undercover agent on Grindr, quickly moving to a Telegram account to…
Ralph Contreras Jr, Child Sex Abuse Material, California 2026
⏱ 2 min read A former corrections sergeant at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Ralph Contreras Jr, 40, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for dealing in child sexual abuse material. Between September 29, 2024, and January 2, 2025, Contreras received and distributed the material through social media apps, specifically targeting…
Gilberto Barron, Real Estate Fraud, California 2021
⏱ 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…
Isaac James Ocejo, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Distribution, California 2026
⏱ 2 min read Isaac James Ocejo, a 22-year-old Fresno man, was at the center of a large-scale methamphetamine and fentanyl distribution ring that operated in Fresno, California, between July 2023 and October 2024. Ocejo and his co-conspirators used the U.S. Mail to ship massive quantities of meth and fentanyl to other states, totaling over…
Manuel Gomez-Sanchez, Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, California 2026
⏱ 2 min read Two Mexican nationals, Manuel Gomez-Sanchez, 39, and David Alejandro Sandoval Canales, 41, were caught with a massive haul of methamphetamine and illegal firearms on a California highway. The bust happened on March 24, 2026, when the duo was stopped for traffic violations on U.S. Interstate-5 in Kings County. A subsequent search…
Victor Piceno Madrigal, Fentanyl Trafficking, California 2026
⏱ 2 min read Victor Piceno Madrigal, 46, and Erick Larios Acosta, 25, two Mexican nationals, were caught with 7 kilograms of fentanyl hidden in the rear passenger door panel of their car during a traffic stop on U.S. Interstate-5 in Fresno County on May 13, 2026. The stop was made for a traffic violation,…
Jia Bei Zhu, COVID Test Fraud, California 2026
⏱ 2 min read A California biolab operator, Jia Bei Zhu, 64, has been found guilty of selling over a million fake COVID tests for nearly $4 million to customers across the US. The scheme, which involved Zhu’s company Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI), was uncovered in Fresno, California, where Zhu lied to the FDA about…
Richard Best, Canola Theft, California 2017
⏱ 3 min read A $4.8 million canola heist rocked the Central Valley’s agricultural supply chain, with a Fresno businessman now facing the music. Richard Best, 72, was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in the scam, which involved stealing millions of dollars’ worth of canola from international food processors. Best, the…
Shana Gaviola, Child Abduction, California 2021
⏱ 2 min read Fresno, California – In a brazen attempt to reunite with her estranged teenage son, a local mother devised an elaborate scheme to abduct him from his new home. On August 21, 2021, masked individuals, acting on behalf of 39-year-old Shana Gaviola, ambushed the 16-year-old at an ice-skating rink in Fresno, handcuffed…
