federal court

South Lake Tahoe ski instructor and coach indicted on child pornography charges

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe man arrested in April on child pornography charges was indicted today by a federal grand jury.

Timothy Daniel Mackey, 39, was arrested at his home after a search warrant served on April 15, 2020. Since that time he has been in jail. If convicted, Mackey faces 5-20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.

South Lake Tahoe coach facing federal child pornography charges

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A search warrant served at a South Lake Tahoe home on April 15, 2020, has resulted in the arrest of a local 39-year-old snowboard and soccer coach on alleged child pornography charges.

Timothy Daniel Mackey was arrested without incident by the FBI and U.S. Marshals at his home during the search.

El Dorado County man pleads guilty to distributing designer drug that caused minor's death

Over seven years after the death of a juvenile, the person found responsible plead guilty Monday in federal court to distribution of a controlled substance known as 25I-NBOMe that caused death the death of the minor in 2012.

According to court documents, during September 2012, Elijah Richter, 28, of Camino, Calif. imported hallucinogenic drugs, including a controlled substance known as 25I-NBOMe, from Europe to his residence in El Dorado County. He placed orders on his computer through Silk Road, a now-defunct “dark” website.

South Lake Tahoe bank robber faces long prison term after pleading guilty to 19 robberies

An Oakland, California man pleaded guilty to being a serial bank robber who committed 19 heists across the Bay Area and Northern California, including South Lake Tahoe, between March 2018 and February 2019.

Duane Kurt Makela, 50, pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco Thursday to ten armed bank robberies, seven unarmed bank robberies, and two attempted bank robberies.

DEA arrests two South Lake Tahoe residents on drug charges

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Federal agents were in South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday to arrest two local men after a three-year-long investigation into their illegal drug activities.

On December 18, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) with assistance from the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force (TRIDENT), South Lake Tahoe Police Department and El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office served a federal search warrant at a home on the 2300 block of Tahoe Vista Drive.

Remembering Bill Morgan

We at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency are mourning the passing of Bill Morgan. In the pantheon of people who have contributed mightily to the agency’s success, Bill is in the top tier. He was executive director from April 1, 1985 to September 30, 1989, one of the most tumultuous times for TRPA. There is a high likelihood that there would be no TRPA if Bill had not been at the helm and found ways to bring disparate parties together.

El Dorado County sues opioid manufacturers and distributors

El Dorado County has filed a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors for creating the opioid epidemic in El Dorado County, joining a consortium of 30 California counties to do so. The County has retained the national law firm of Baron & Budd and a joint venture of law firms to represent its interests, seeking an abatement remedy in addition to legal damages for taxpayer money spent providing social resources in response to the crisis.

Reno man pleads guilty to creating over 8k fake accounts in $3.5M fraud scheme

RENO, Nev. – A Reno man pleaded guilty in federal court today to using stolen identities to create more than 8,000 fraudulent online accounts to commit a $3.5 million fraud scheme.

Gardnerville man arrested and indicted for butane hash oil explosion

A Gardnerville man made his first appearance in federal court Thursday on charges stemming from a honey oil lab explosion on January 14, 2018 at his apartment.

Adam Fitzgerald-Wermes, 22, is charged with one count of endangering human life while manufacturing a controlled substance. United States District Magistrate Judge Valerie P. Cooke scheduled a jury trial to begin on May 8, 2018.

Nevada doctor arrested on distribution of opioids and health care fraud charges

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.

Reno man indicted for allegedly using 8,000 PayPal accounts in $3.5M scheme

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.

Former Truckee resident charged in scheme that took $1.7M from investors

Patrick Slavin, 55, formerly of Truckee, has been accused of being behind an investment scheme that allegedly used at least $1.7 million of investor's money.

Slavin was arraigned in federal court Tuesday on a 21-count indictment charging him with mail and wire fraud for the scheme that he ran from 2008 through 2016, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

Owners of Zephyr Cove company sentenced for fraudulent exchange visitor program

Perspective employees coming to the Unitied States on a J-1 Visa were taken advantage of by a company run by Zephyr Cove, Nevada resident David Marzano, his wife Linda Blair and adult daughter Janece Burke.

Former South Lake Tahoe Fire Capt. Mark Wygant pleads guilty to child porn charge

Former South Lake Tahoe Fire Captain Mark McLeod Wygant, 46, pleaded guilty in federal court today to transportation of child pornography.

Following an FBI and SLT Police Department investigation, Wygant was a
arrested on Jan. 29 2015 and has been in custody ever since. He had been immediately placed on administration leave but resigned just days after his arrest.

"I am pleased that Mr. Wygant plead guilty to his crime and the punishment will now in the hands of the criminal justice system," said SLT Fire Chief Jeff Meston.

Fight over Yosemite names escalates

The National Park Service has opened up a new front in the fight over the names of historic hotels and other beloved landmarks at Yosemite National Park.

The agency has asked a federal trademark board to cancel trademarks obtained by the company that previously ran the park’s hotels, restaurants and outdoor activities, the Sacramento Bee reported Friday. Those trademarks include the name, “The Ahwahnee,” which was used on a luxurious stone and timber hotel with stunning views of the park’s fabled granite peaks, and “Curry Village,” a woodsy family-friendly lodging complex.

$17M Indian tribe construction scheme involved condo in South Lake Tahoe

Darrell Hinz was the trusted construction manager hired by the United Auburn Indian Community to complete its Indian Hills Road office project.

Instead, Hinz became enmeshed in a fraud scheme that federal investigators determined would ultimately suck $17 million out of the project in fraudulently inflated invoices.

The money ended up paying for luxuries that included a $70,000 BMW, a condo in South Lake Tahoe and a new swimming pool.

FBI affidavit alleges man found hiding out in South Lake Tahoe confessed

A Sacramento County man accused of kidnapping a Vallejo woman in March allegedly confessed to the crime in a recorded jailhouse interview and said he did it alone, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court.

Matthew Muller, 38, of Orangevale, is charged with kidnapping physical therapist Denise Hoskins at the Vallejo home she shared with her boyfriend on March 23 and keeping her captive for two days before dropping her off near her mother's house in Huntington Beach.

Former Sierra Army Depot employee sentenced for stealing military equipment

Reno resident Tony Herrin, 36, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to two years and nine months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $411,333 for theft of government property, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

Nevada joins lawsuit challenging expanded federal authority over waters

Nevada and 12 other states took swift action Monday to challenge an Obama administration rule expanding the federal government’s authority over non-navigational waters.

The suit, joined by Attorney General Adam Laxalt with the blessing of Gov. Brian Sandoval, was filed in federal court in the southeastern district of North Dakota on the same day a final rule expanding the definition of “Waters in the United States” was published in the Federal Register.

Charges dropped against man accused of starting Rim Fire after witnesses die

Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against a Tuolumne County man accused of starting a massive 2013 wildfire that burned for more than two months and eventually charred more than 257,000 acres in the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park.

Court's decision leaves marijuana on list of dangerous drugs

Marijuana is still on the list of dangerous drugs after U.S. Federal Court Judge Kimberly Mueller's ruling in Sacramento Wednesday. The move disappoints advocates that saw the case as a chance to get closer to their goal of nationwide legalization.

Mueller denied the motion of the defendants in United States v. Bryan Schweder to dismiss an indictment on that basis that the continued scheduling of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance in federal law was unconstitutional.

South Lake Tahoe fire captain arrested on porn charges is resident of Chico

A Chico man who works as a captain for the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department has been arrested on suspicion of child pornography.

Mark McLeod Wygant, 44, appeared in federal court Friday and is scheduled for preliminary examination Feb. 13, unless he is indicted earlier, which would change the appearance to arraignment, said Lauren Horwood, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bond was not offered and he remains in custody at Sacramento County Jail.

City of South Lake Tahoe wins case in Federal Court

A 2011 false arrest complaint against the City of South Lake Tahoe by Patrick Solomon ended up in a jury trial in Federal Court's Eastern Division in Sacramento. On Thursday the jury came back with a decision siding with the defense, stating that there was no wrong doing on behalf of the City or the police department.

The case started when Solomon was arrested on January 21, 2011 for assaulting an El Dorado County Sheriff's Officer Deputy Brandon Pena.

Officer Pena was a County correctional officer and knew the plaintiff during his time as an inmate at the El Dorado County jail.

Caesars rolls the dice in bankruptcy court

Casino company Caesars Entertainment (CZR), the owner of Harrah's and Harvey's in Lake Tahoe, announced early Thursday that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court in Chicago for its main operating unit in an attempt to beat back an effort by some creditors who filed their own bankruptcy plan in Delaware on Monday. They claim the company has cheated them.

Tuolumne County hunter indicted for starting the Rim Fire; Faces jail time and fines

One of the largest fires in California history, as well as being one of the costliest, was started by an illegal campfire started by a bow hunter according to a federal grand jury indictment returned Thursday.

Ex-chief of huge pension fund guilty of bribery; South Lake Tahoe businessman still faces charges

The former head of the nation’s largest pension fund admitted Friday that he took bribes, including hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffed in paper bags and a shoe box, and helped an associate collect millions in a fraudulent investment scheme.

Fred Buenrostro Jr. pleaded guilty in San Francisco federal court to fraud and bribery charges stemming from his time as chief executive of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 2002 to 2008.

Tahoe Regional Plan Upheld in Court; Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore Lawsuit Struck Down

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and League to Save Lake Tahoe are joining other local groups and individuals in applauding the decision today in Federal Court to uphold the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan. U.S. District Court Judge John Mendez found that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency acted properly in its Dec. 12, 2012 approval of an updated regional plan for the Tahoe Basin.

These Tahoe Regional Plan will guide all aspects of land management, development and planning in the Tahoe Basin for the next 20 years.

South Lake Tahoe Man Admits Fraudulent Golf Course Scheme

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Lake Tahoe-area man accused of bilking 11 investors out of $3.6 million in a fraudulent scheme to buy a Douglas County golf course has pleaded guilty to 24 federal charges, including wire fraud and money laundering.

U.S. Attorney Dan Bogden says 55-year-old Scott Summerhays of South Lake Tahoe, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Reno.

From 2008-10, prosecutors say Summerhays told potential investors he was purchasing Genoa Lakes Golf Club near Gardnerville for $17 million.

South Lake Tahoe pot club owner sentenced to five years in federal prison; agrees to forfeit drug money

Former City of Angels 2 pot club owner Gennaro "Gino" DiMatteo of South Lake Tahoe was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.

DiMatteo had pled guilty to a felony for marijuana trafficking on Jan. 9. As part of his plea agreement, DiMatteo agreed to forfeit more than $40,000 to the United States.

Regional Plan faces court challenge

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's Regional Plan Update is headed to court.On Monday, the Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the TRPA's long-di...

AP Exclusive: Inmate lawsuits cost Calif. $200M

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Jerry Brown has begun aggressively challenging federal court oversight of California's prison system by highlighting what he says is a costly conflict of interest: T...

Former El Dorado County man pleads guilty in federal court in multimillion dollar fraud scheme

A former El Dorado County man pled guilty Thursday to wire fraud in connection with a multimillion dollar investment fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said in a news statement.

According to court documents, between January 1, 2007 and November 31, 2011, Daniel Chartraw, 39, formerly of El Dorado County, defrauded numerous investors by falsely representing investments in mines, mining and refinery equipment, oil commodities, precious metals concentrate, and multimillion dollar certificates of deposit.

Former South Lake Tahoe pot club owner pleads guilty to federal trafficking charges

Gennaro "Gino" DiMatteo, 43, of South Lake Tahoe, pled guilty Wednesday to count two of the indictment, possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. DiMatteo is scheduled to be sentenced in April.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department, and the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jason Hitt is prosecuting the case.

Female military members sue to serve in combat

SAN FRANCISCO - Four female military service members have filed a lawsuit challenging the Pentagon's ban on women serving in combat.The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco Tuesday a...

DiMatteo bail hearing scheduled

A federal court judge is scheduled to hear arguments regarding the release of former South Lake Tahoe medical marijuana dispensary owner Gino DiMatteo next week.A bail review hearing for DiMatteo i...

Saunders: Another drug war nightmare

The government has the power to seize your assets for a crime you did not commit. That's essentially the argument being made in a Boston federal court this week as the U.S. Department of Justice an...

Disabled ADA attorney accused of sexual harassment by four ex-employees

Scott Johnson, a quadriplegic attorney who has filed more than 1,000 lawsuits in Sacramento federal court since 2004, is now being sued by four former legal assistants for sexual harassment. Plaint...

Appeals court hears Sierra Colina arguments

A panel of federal court judges heard oral arguments this week over a proposed residential development in Douglas County.The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals listened to arguments in League to S...

Town of Mammoth Lakes declares bankruptcy

The worst possible outcome for Mammoth Lakes has come true. The town filed decided to declare municipal bankruptcy Monday morning, July 2. The Town Council took the action unanimously.
"It's wish this hadn't happened," said Mayor Matthew Lehman, "but it's not the way the cards fell for us."
The town immediately issued a press release regarding the Town council decision.

Former preschool teacher sues city over stun gun incident

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A former preschool teacher at Under the Magic Pine Tree is suing the city of South Lake Tahoe, numerous police and fire officials and ambulance operators in federal court...

Judge dismisses League's challenge to city's general plan

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A federal court judge dismissed a Lake Tahoe environmental group's lawsuit against the City of South Lake Tahoe on Thursday.Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. signed an order g...

Federal court hears case on Arizona ski resort

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal appeals court is hearing arguments in a case that challenges the planned use of reclaimed water for snowmaking at an Arizona ski resort.The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of ...

Federal court hears case on Arizona ski resort

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal appeals court is hearing arguments in a case that challenges the planned use of reclaimed water for snowmaking at an Arizona ski resort.The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of ...

TRPA and Placer County Sued Over Homewood

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency received a notice of intent to file suit on the recent approval of the Homewood Mountain Resort Ski Area Master Plan project, officials said.
EarthJustice, on behalf of the Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore, lists both TRPA and Placer County as defendants in the lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court of Eastern California. Absent from the suit is the League to Save Lake Tahoe, which implied that it likely wouldn't sue when the project was unanimously approved last month by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's Governing Board.

Lake Tahoe law firm sets bar for environmental cases

NEWS RELEASE — With recent success guiding the approval process for major projects at Lake Tahoe, the accomplishments of law firm Feldman McLaughlin Thiel reflect a rising correlation in the spectacular mountain community between a healthy environment and a healthy economy.

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