Eastern District of California Blog

Guilty Verdict In Sacramento Mortgage Fraud Case

According to today's Central Valley Business Times, Sacramento real estate agent Behrooz Badie was found guilty yesterday of 13 mail fraud counts involving a mortgage fraud scheme after a 6-day jury trial before Judge Garcia.

70-Year Old Man Convicted Of Child Pornography And Other Offenses

A 70-year-old Sacramento man was convicted in federal court on Tuesday on five counts of child exploitation crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

James E. Johnston was found guilty of conspiring to produce child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, possession of child pornography, and traveling in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The guilty verdict was returned by a federal jury in Sacramento after a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.

CBS13, 5/1/12

Sacramento Jury Convicts Mortgage Broker In Fraud Case

A Chico woman was convicted by a federal court jury today of two counts of mail fraud in connection with the Chico mortgage fraud scheme that involving a number of Chico-area builders and financiers.

Kesha Danine Fortune Haynie, 41, was found guilty after a six-day trial before U.S District Judge Edward J. Garcia.

Chico ER, 3/28/12

My Favorite Jury Note Of All Time: Cookies, Please

Last week, a Sacramento federal jury submitted my all-time favorite note in a misdemeanor trial before Magistrate Judge Brennan, which I've reproduced below.  The icing on the cookie, so to speak, is that after the Court complied with the request, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on the assault charge and hung 9-3 for acquittal on an obstruction charge.  No word yet on whether chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies were delivered.  Congratulations to AFDs Courtney Fein and Caro Marks.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sacramento Jury Convicts Ex-Forest Service Intern In Fraud Scheme

John Smithson, 30, of Atlanta, was found guilty Thursday by a federal court jury after a three day trial before U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr.  

Smithson was accused of receiving $20,000 in unauthorized government checks while working as an intern at the Forest Service regional offices on Mare Island in the fall of 2005.

Times Herald, 2/4/12

Sacramento Jury Convicts Man Of Putting Explosives Underneath SUV

A Sacramento jury found Fairfield resident Daniel Richard Garcia, 30, guilty in the bombing incident that happened nearly a year ago when he planted a bomb underneath a sports utility vehicle. He faces a life sentence in federal prison.

United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced Tuesday that the guilty verdict was returned by a federal court jury in Sacramento after a four-day trial before United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton.

Fairfield Reporter, 1/18/12

Sacramento Jury Convicts Former VP Of Construction Firm Of Fraud

The former vice president of a Rancho Cordova construction company was found guilty Tuesday in federal court of stealing more than $110,000 from the firm.

On the sixth day of trial, a jury of seven men and three women adjudged Thomas Tanke guilty on two counts of mail fraud and five counts of bank fraud. The panel deliberated 4½ hours over two days before returning its verdict early Tuesday afternoon.

The 67-year-old Tanke, once a resident of El Dorado Hills, claimed that at least part of the money was compensation in lieu of a higher salary, but the owner of Azteca Construction Inc., Rafael Martin, said that was not true.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Carlberg asked that Tanke, who has been on pretrial release, be jailed pending sentencing on March 2, based on "evidence of the defendant's perjury during the trial." U.S. District Judge Edward J. Garcia obliged.

Sacramento Bee, 11/23/11

Sacramento Jury Rejects Student's Claims Against Former Dunsmuir H.S. Principal

Some seven years after a student claimed a Dunsmuir High School principal harassed her and unfairly disciplined her, a federal court jury has rejected her claims.

After a five-day trial, a jury of eight women voted unanimously Tuesday to reject Dayna Padula's claim in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento.

The jury deliberated 90 minutes before reaching a decision, said Redding attorney John Kelley, who represented the Dunsmuir Joint Union High School District, former superintendent and principal Bob Morris and other district officials.

Redding.com, 8/3/11; see also 7/12 post.

Sacramento Jury Convicts Three Of Health Care Fraud

Three Southern California doctors with ties to the owner of clinics in Sacramento and Carmichael have been convicted of Medicare fraud by a federal jury in Sacramento.

Dr. Alexander Popov, 46, of Los Angeles; Dr. Ramanathan Prakash, 63, of Northridge; and Dr. Lana Le Chabrier, 62, of Santa Barbara, were convicted of conspiring to commit health-care fraud. In addition, Popov and Prakash were convicted on three individual counts of health care fraud, and Le Chabrier was convicted of a single additional count of health care fraud, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. The guilty verdicts were returned today after a monthlong trial before U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr.

Sac Bee Blog, 7/8/11

Sacramento Jury Convicts Midtown Man of Trafficking In Oxycodone and Marijuana

A Sacramento man has been convicted by a federal court jury of possessing oxycodone and marijuana with intent to distribute, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

Gabriel Johnson, 35, was convicted Friday, according to a department news release. The verdict was returned following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr.

According to testimony presented at the trial, Johnson possessed significant amounts of oxycodone and marijuana for sale at his apartment in midtown, the release states.

Sac Bee Blog, 7/5/11.  I'm surprised the U.S. Attorney's Press Release is predicting a 17-year sentence right after the trial, which seems somewhat presumptuous to me before any presentence report has been prepared.