On January 22, 2018, in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Kathryn Montejano presiding, a jury found Frank Luna, age 49, of Farmersville, guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. On January 23, 2018, the Court also found true the special allegations that Luna has been previously convicted of two…
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On January 18, 2018, in Department 19 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Antonio Reyes presiding, a jury convicted Patrick Lee Baca, age 41, of Exeter, of second-degree murder for his involvement in the stabbing death of his cousin. Baca has previously been convicted of armed robbery of a taxi…
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On January 16, 2018, in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, Judge Michael Sheltzer presiding, a jury found Michael Yocom, age 51, of Strathmore, guilty of attempted premeditated murder on a peace officer, assault on a peace officer, criminal threats, resisting an executive officer, firearm removal from a peace…
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District Attorney Tim Ward announced murder charges have been filed against Porterville resident Angelica Castro, age 20, stemming from an incident on January 15, 2018, which resulted in the death of a nearly 6-month-old baby. Castro is charged with one count of murder and one count of assault on a child causing death. Each count…
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On Thursday, January 11, 2018, at Salinas Valley State Prison, a California parole board denied parole for Gerald Daniel Walker, age 86, for murder. Walker received a 5 year denial and is not eligible for another hearing until 2023. On February 27, 1973, deputies at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Beverly Hills…
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On Friday, January 05, 2018, in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Samuel Molina, age 27, to an indeterminate term of life in prison for murder. On August 30, 2017, a Tulare County jury found Molina guilty of one count of second-degree murder with the special allegation…
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Today in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Joseph Kalashian sentenced Chaylin Funez, age 18, to 16 years to life in prison for hit- and-run murder. On December 4, 2017, a Tulare County jury found Funez guilty of second-degree murder with the special allegation of use of a deadly weapon,…
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When disaster strikes at home or abroad, it is natural to want to help. But before sending money, do some research to ensure you are not falling victim to the latest charity scam. Get the exact name and look up the charity on-line. The California Attorney General offers information on registered California charities at http://oag.ca.gov/charities. More…
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The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office has become aware of a fraud scheme targeting restaurants, food service facilities and other small businesses in Tulare County, California and across North America. A number of restaurants in Tulare County have recently received telephone calls from a person claiming to be a “health inspector” introducing a new procedure…
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We have become aware of a bogus spam e-mail claiming to be from FBI Director Robert Mueller III. This scam appears to be a typical Nigerian scam; however, the attempt to defraud victims comes in two separate e-mails. The same e-mail address is used to deliver both phases of the spam. The first e-mail claims…
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The Office of the Tulare County District Attorney, Phil Cline, District Attorney, White Collar Crime Unit, Consumer Fraud Unit, the Elder Abuse Prosecution Program and the Elder Abuse Advocacy and Outreach Program issue the following warning: emails from a person posing as a U.S. Soldier in Iraq have been received by numerous persons in the…
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Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports CBS. In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a…
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The IRS has issued a consumer alert, warning against phishing scams using the IRS logo. Recent scams have been circulating via email as criminals attempt to gain personal information from recipients. For more information on this scam and ways to protect yourself, read more. An excerpt from www.irs.gov: To protect against potential identity thieves, take the following…
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Washington D.C.FBI National Press Office Washington, D.C. – The FBI today is alerting the public to a variety of scams currently being facilitated online involving the solicitation of additional relief funds for the victims of the recent Tsunami disaster. The FBI, through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), has received reports of websites being established purportedly to assist…
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The Office of the Tulare County District Attorney, Phil Cline, District Attorney, the Elder Abuse Prosecution Program and the Elder Abuse Advocacy and Outreach Program issue the following warning: A business alleging to be handling the El-Gordo De La Primitiva lottery program from Madrid, Spain has been mailing letters of notification to residents of Tulare…
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Recently residents of Tulare County have been receiving letters from outside the United States announcing winners of international lottery programs. The letters sound official, indicate a large amount of money is waiting and give a deadline for a response. The letter asks for banking information as well as information about your relatives. Beware! These are scams with the purpose of…
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The Office of the Tulare County District Attorney, Phil Cline, District Attorney, the Elder Abuse Prosecution Program and the Elder Abuse Advocacy and Outreach Program issue the following warning: Individuals and groups of individuals have been calling and approaching citizens in Tulare County offering to make repairs or handle major maintenance projects on homes. Elderly…
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We have recently become aware of credit card offers that are not quite what they appear to be. If you receive an offer of credit that requires you to submit a “processing” or “membership” fee along with your signature on an acceptance certificate, think twice. These offers may restrict your use of qualified credit to…
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According to the Federal Trade Commission, Internet auction fraud has become a significant problem. Most consumer complaints center on sellers who: * Don’t deliver the advertised goods;* Deliver something far less valuable than they advertised;* Don’t deliver in a timely way; or* Fail to disclose all the relevant information about the products or terms of…
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Identify the seller and check the seller’s feedback rating. Remember, some unscrupulous sellers may input their own feedback rating to deceive buyers. Be sure you understand what you are bidding on, its relative value and all terms and conditions of the sale, including the seller’s return policies and who pays for shipping. Establish your top…
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Try to work it out directly with the buyer or the auction web site. If that doesn’t work, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by calling toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP or visiting the FTC’s web site at www.ftc.gov. Although the Commission cannot resolve individual problems for consumers, it can act against an individual or company if…
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Provide an accurate description of the item you are selling, including all terms of the sale and who will pay shipping costs. Respond quickly to any questions bidders may raise during the auction. Contact the high bidder as soon as possible after the auction closes to confirm details of the sale. Ship the merchandise as…
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