Controversy erupted in Bakersfield, California after detectives confiscated cellphones with video recordings of police allegedly beating a man to death. Husband and father David Sal Silva, 33, died last week after an encounter with a number of police officers who had responded to a report of an intoxicated man outside Kern Medical Center. According to deputies, Silva fought with them. He was pronounced dead at the same medical facility shortly after the encounter.
Authorities In Bakersfield, California Seize Cellphone Video Of Fatal Beating During Police Stop
O.J. Simpson In Las Vegas Court To Seek New Trial
A year ago this month, former football star and actor O.J. Simpson filed a habeas petition alleging that his 2008 conviction on charges of kidnapping and robbery was the result of ineffective assistance of counsel. Today Simpson, 65, appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom to get his conviction thrown out and a new trial ordered. He is currently serving a 9 to 33 year sentence in a Nevada prison.
Megan Martzen: “The jurors saw my innocence.”
Accused of causing the death of toddler Ella VanLeeuwen four years ago, and after a long and emotional trial, former Fresno area babysitter Megan Martzen was sentenced last week to three years probation and 250 days of community service. The sentence was the result of a plea bargain, which Martzen accepted after a jury returned deadlocked last month, with the judge declaring a mistrial.
Man Pleads Guilty In California Bank And Mortgage Fraud Scheme
A man in Bakersfield, California recently pleaded guilty to his roles in a bank and mortgage fraud scheme. According to court documents, Ricardo Fabian Salinas, 34, of Los Angeles, defrauded banks and mortgage lenders by selling properties to nominee buyers using fraudulent loan applications and other false documents.
Fresno Jury Finds Man Guilty Of Stabbing Death At Halfway House
A jury in Fresno, California found a man guilty in the stabbing death of a Fresno halfway house employee in 2007. Jerry White, 51, was accused of stabbing and killing 32-year-old Christopher J. Westrick, who worked at a halfway house where White had been residing. Having delivered the guilty verdict, the same panel of jurors will now move on to consider whether White will serve his sentence in a state prison or in a state mental hospital.
Southern California Woman Gets 14 Years For Illegal Distribution of Oxycodone
A federal judge recently sentenced a Southern California woman to 14 years in federal prison for illegal distribution of oxycodone. United States District Judge David O. Carter handed down the sentence for Anusha Davtaya, 53, of Encino, after she pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, a highly abused prescription narcotic.
California Counterfeiting Cases: Bakersfield Woman Indicted, Visalia Man Pleads Guilty
A woman from Bakersfield, California was recently arrested on charges of counterfeiting U.S. currency. A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against Shannon Nicole Johannsen, 34, alleging that, between about October 2012 and March 2013, she counterfeited Federal Reserve Notes in $100 and other denominations with intent to defraud, and passed the counterfeit bills at various businesses. A search of her home in March revealed digital images of $100 bills. If convicted, Johannsen faces a maximum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Southern California Man Pleads Guilty To $47 Million Fraud That Victimized In-Laws
A Central Coast man recently pleaded guilty in federal court to a $47 million fraud scheme that victimized his in-laws, among others. John Mark Moore, 51, of Nipomo, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David O. Carter to four federal offenses: two counts of making false statements to Farm Credit West (FCW), a production credit association in Templeton, California; one count of mail fraud; and one count of wire fraud.
Southern California Man Indicted For Operating $3 Million Ponzi Scheme
A Southern California man was recently arrested by the FBI for running a Ponzi scheme. A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Shervin Neman, whose given name is Shervin Davatgarzadeh, 31, alleging he defrauded victims out of more than $3 million. He was also charged with defrauding another victim in order to pay back his earlier victims.
Fresno Man Sentenced To Over Four Years For Laundering Money From Illegal Marijuana Sales
A resident of Fresno, California was recently sentenced for laundering money gained from an interstate drug trafficking operation. Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii sentenced Joseph Edwin Gable (a.k.a., Mike Jones), 42, to four years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. His sentence follows a guilty plea he entered earlier in the year.
