guilty

A federal indictment was unsealed last week, charging 36 individuals for their alleged roles in the Infraud Organization, an Internet-based cybercriminal enterprise engaged in the large-scale acquisition, sale, and dissemination of stolen identities, compromised debit and credit cards, personally identifiable information, financial and banking information, computer malware, and other contraband.

On February 8th, 2018 a South Lake news source, based on seven anonymous sources, destroyed City Manager Nancy Kerry’s reputation. As the former City Manager prior to Nancy Kerry, I know the challenges, rewards, and pitfalls of managing cities. Given the average tenure of a City Manager is 3-5 years, it is not uncommon for City Managers and City Councils to amicably part ways.

A former motel maintenance worker at a South Lake Tahoe motel has been sentenced to 183 years to life for the brutal sexual assault of a 22-year-old Macedonian exchange student in 2015.

Manuel Ovidio Ramos-Munoz was found guilty in November, 2017 on seven felony counts, including kidnapping for the purpose of committing a sexual assault, as well as six additional counts and numerous special allegations relating to the subsequent sexual assault of the victim.

Dr. Devendra I. Patel, aka Devendrakumar I. Patel, 58, of Elko, Nev., was arrested Tuesday on 39 charges of unlawful distribution of prescriptions opioids and Medicaid fraud.

Patel is charged with 36-counts of distribution of controlled substances such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, and three-counts of health care fraud. He is a cardiologist at his medical practice, Northeastern Nevada Cardiology. The statutory maximum penalty for distribution of a controlled substance is 10 years in prison and the maximum penalty for health care fraud is 10 years in prison.

Stephan L. DeGraffenreid will be spending the next 15 years in prison after being sentenced Wednesday by United States District Judge Howard D. McKibben.

DeGraffenreid plead guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in September. He was sentenced to the minimum number of years for those charges.

A man was found guilty of violating a domestic violence restraining order by a jury in El Dorado County on November 1, 2017.

Daniel Ramirez Rios, 43, violated a domestic violence restraining order and one count of intentionally distributing the images of the intimate body parts of another person – also known as “revenge porn.” Mr. Rios was remanded into custody after the jury’s verdict was announced.

The man accused of firing shots into the home of Carson City Judge John Tatro, setting up an explosive device outside the home and sending a threatening Christmas card has died, Carson City law officials confirm.

John Aston, 74, died Thursday morning, 6:25 a.m. in the infirmary at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center. News of his death has been confirmed by the Carson City Sheriff's Office.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office Coroner responded. An autopsy will be scheduled per NRS 209.3815. Next of kin have been notified.

The man who has led anti-South Lake Tahoe Police, El Dorado County Sheriff, District Attorney and Judge campaigns was found guilty on Monday in Sacramento Superior Court on eight felony charges.

A Reno man has been indicted on several charges after allegedly engaging in a $3.5 million fraud scheme using over 8,000 fraudulent PayPal credit accounts, bank accounts, and prepaid credit and debit cards he created with stolen identities.

Kenneth Gilbert Gibson, 46, made his initial appearance in federal court on September 14. He was indicted on 10 counts of wire fraud; three counts of mail fraud; 10 counts of bank fraud; six counts of access device fraud; and six counts of aggravated identity theft.

For the next three Wednesdays, the Valhalla Boathouse will be filled with the sound of music as the final shows of the season are held in the historic lakeside location.

On Wednesday, September 6, its a songwriter celebration with Linda McRae, Rick Shea
and Ernest Troost starting at 7:30 p.m.

Two new laws start on Nevada roadways July 1. The "Move Over" Law geared towards protecting Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) workers takes effect as does the Left Lane Law.

Left Lane Law now state that drivers in the fast lane who are holding back traffic behind them can be cited. Violations for being the slow driver in the fast lane will now be a misdemeanor with a first-time $50 fine. The fine would be $100 for a second offense within seven years. Fine number three would be $250.

Have you ever wished you could take a magnifying glass to someone’s life? Have you ever wished to be able to live for one day as someone else?

Wish granted.

Who would you choose: a movie star, an athlete, or a president? You would choose someone important; you would choose someone who has made a difference. Be it that difference is taking you into another reality for two hours or creating policies to hoist our country out of The Great Depression. You would want to be up close and personal with someone who has made a difference; you would choose a hero.

A 24-year-old Tahoe man jailed Wednesday after leading Nevada Highway Patrol troopers on a vehicle pursuit from Highway 50 Spooner to downtown Carson City, faces charges of attempting to escape and destruction of jail property, a sheriff’s deputy said.

According to the arrest report, a deputy assigned to the jail on Thursday responded to the housing pod for an inmate, Jesus Salvador Herrera-Casas, attempting to climb through the ceiling. Deputies responded and saw the man climbing up into the ceiling through the ceiling tiles.

As he reflects back on 30 years in uniform for the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, Lt. Brian Williams knows the dates that will be forever etched into his memory. 12/29/1986, 6/10/1991, 1/29/1997, 10/25/2005 and 8/26/2009.

December 29, 1986: Brian starts with SLTPD and heads off to the Police Academy in Santa Rosa.

Placerville resident Jeffrey Scott Davis, 59 has been charged on six counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud along with Glen Michael Martinka, 67, of Phoenix, Arizona.

A federal grand jury returned the indictment after Davis and Martinka allegedly conspired to embezzle approximately $218,000 from an organic food company by submitting false invoices between December 2008 and April 2012.

An unlicensed El Dorado county tax preparer was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay $1,895,833 in restitution for conspiring to file false claims and filing false claims. Her co-conspirator will be sentenced next week.

Barbara Antonucci, 49, and her co-conspirator, Sherry Taggart, 56, of El Dorado Hills, prepared tax returns for clients seeking to maximize their refunds from the Internal Revenue Service.

An unidentified man is being sought by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) for allegedly tampering with food on at least four different occasions in the Hot Wok self-serve section of the Raley's in the Village Center at Stateline.

On Tuesday, November 15, 2016 a suspect walked into the grocery store, approached the self-serve food display, and intentionally dispensed an unknown type of contaminating substance on top of the food. The suspect then walked out of the store and left the area on foot. Officers were unable to locate the suspect.

The owner of Advanced Financial Services (AFS) in Placerville pleaded guilty to filing more than 250 false claims for refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) along with two of her employees. They all face large fines and years in jail.

Daniel Allen Coats, 34, of Turlock, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $8,938 in restitution for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the United States by filing false claims for federal tax refunds while in prison.

South Lake Tahoe resident Ronald Scott Williams was sentenced to three years in State Prison on Friday, July 8.

In El Dorado County Superior Court, the 27-year-old was found guilty of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor age 14-15.

Williams was originally arrested on September 29, 2015 on an arrest warrant for the crime committed in the County area of the South Shore on August 4, 2015. He had been out on bail until his sentencing.

Matthew Keys, 29, former web producer and network site administrator for KTXL FOX40, a Sacramento television station, was sentenced today to two years in prison for inciting, assisting, and conducting a weeks-long campaign of online attacks against FOX40 and The Los Angeles Times, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner and FBI Special Agent in Charge Monica M. Miller announced.

Wayne Allen Huntsman, the man charged with starting the 2014 King Fire that burned 97,700 acres in El Dorado County, will appear in court on Friday, but the day may hold more than just his pre-trial conference.

Benjamin Cunha, 33, of Placerville, was sentenced Tuesday, February 23, 2016 to five years in prison for arson after being found guilty of setting at least 30 wildland fires during the summers of 2006 and 2007.

Two of these fires burned onto federal land. Cunha indicated that his motivation for setting the fires was to overcome boredom, to earn overtime pay for fighting the fires, and to impress his peers.

United States District Judge John A. Mendez also ordered Cunha to pay $246,862 in restitution to Cal Fire, his former employer.

Update: A South Lake Tahoe man, 28 year old Nicholas Bridges, ducked under the out of bound ropes and skied out of bounds at Heavenly Ski Resort on December 19.

At 4:33 p.m., the Douglas County Sheriff's Office received a call that Bridges' friend couldn't find him after trying to find for over two hours.

Members of the Douglas County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team began a coordinated search of the potential area. At approximately 8:10 p.m., Bridges was able to call dispatch and alert them as to his wearabouts.

Bridges was issued a citation for skiing out of bounds.