President Donald Trump has nominated Sacramento Superior Court Judge James P. Arguelles to the federal court for the Eastern District of California. It is Trump's second pick for the district that covers the Central Valley, stretching from Bakersfield to the Oregon border. Arguelles was appointed in 2010 to the Sacramento...
Mendota MS-13 Gang Leader Pleads Guilty to Multiple Charges
Mendota's MS-13 gang leader pleaded guilty Friday in a Fresno federal courtroom to assault with a deadly weapon and several drug distribution charges. Denis Barrera-Palma, 25, captained La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a violent street gang known to engage in racketeering, murder, kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking. A multi-agency investigation into the...
Judge Orders Hmong Murders Suspects to Remain Jailed
Three suspects accused of conspiracy in the killing of four men at a football-watching party on Nov. 17 will remain in detention, a federal judge in Fresno ruled Wednesday afternoon. Jhovanny Delgado-Marcelo, Pao Choua Vang, and Johnny Xiong were denied release by Judge Stanley Boone. The three face conspiracy charges...
Clovis Unified Sued for Punishing Student Who Used N-Word
Andy Castro felt it was unfair that Clovis High School stopped him from participating in graduation ceremonies. Just hours before the pomp and circumstance on May 30, 2019 , the school's principal summoned the 18-year old Castro to her office and informed him that because of an offensive tweet, Castro...
Fresnans Plead Guilty to Pointing Laser at CHP Aircraft
Remember the two Fresnans who were arrested for pointing a laser beam at a California Highway Patrol airplane? They entered guilty pleas in federal court this week and are scheduled for sentencing Jan. 30. According to their plea agreements, on July 22, 2018, Carlos Villa-Lozano and Paulina Silva Aguilar used...
Fresno County Prisoner Sentenced for Threats to Murder Judge
A man in a Fresno County prison had eight years tacked onto his sentence for threatening to murder a federal judge once he was freed. Cyrus Dennis Braswell, 57, of Anchorage, Alaska, was sentenced in Fresno on Monday by U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd. In February, after a two-day trial...
7 Indicted in Fresno for Helping Alleged Killer of Police Cpl. Singh
FRESNO — Seven friends and relatives of a Mexican national charged with the shooting death of a Northern California police officer have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly helping him evade capture, federal officials said Friday. U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said a federal grand jury on Thursday indicted the...