FOLSOM – On February 19, 2020, California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agents arrested Tomas Green, 47, of Folsom and Jae Jo, 28, of Sacramento for allegedly furnishing alcohol to an underage customer who later crashed her vehicle and died. Green was also arrested for furnishing alcohol to another person who was exhibiting signs of obvious intoxication.
Green and Jo are accused of furnishing alcohol to Yasmina Azamatova, 20, of Antelope between Thursday, September 19, 2019, and Friday, September 20, 2019 at Catch a Wave by Blue Nami restaurant in Folsom.
Shortly after Azamatova was illegally furnished alcohol at Catch a Wave by Blue Nami, she was involved in a fatal single-car crash on East Bidwell Street and Oak Avenue Parkway in Folsom. Azamtova was the only occupant in the vehicle and died at the scene.
ABC opened a Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies (TRACE) investigation immediately after the crash to find the source of the alcohol consumed by Azamatova. The Folsom Police Department investigated the cause of the vehicle crash.
ABC agents conducted a series of interviews, examined evidence, and were able to determine that Green and Jo allegedly furnished alcohol to Azamatova at the Catch a Wave by Blue Nami restaurant in Folsom. ABC agents also discovered that during the same time frame, Green allegedly furnished alcohol to a 21-year-old woman who was showing signs of obvious intoxication at the time of service. Minutes after leaving Catch a Wave by Blue Nami, the 21-year-old woman was arrested by the California Highway Patrol for driving under the influence in the area of Highway 50 and Bradshaw Road.
“The help ABC received from the California Highway Patrol and Folsom Police Department was crucial in the process of pulling together all the facts and evidence in this TRACE investigation,” said ABC Supervising Agent in Charge Brandon Shotwell.
“The tragic death of this young woman, who never should have been sold or served alcohol, is an example of why the work of ABC agents is desperately needed in California,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. “While we’ll never know the number of lives saved or injuries prevented, because of the work ABC agents do, we know they work seven days a week, nights, weekends and holidays enforcing ABC laws which are designed to keep those under 21 from consuming alcoholic beverages. They work undercover in establishments that sell and serve alcohol, conduct shoulder tap and decoy operations, and work large venues that attract young people and also serve alcohol.”
ABC will be seeking disciplinary action against Catch a Wave by Blue Nami’s alcoholic beverage license for furnishing alcohol to a minor, a violation of Section 25658(c) of the California Business and Professions Code and for furnishing alcohol to an obviously intoxicated person, a violation of Section 25602(a) of the California Business and Professions Code. The business faces a fine or suspension. A penalty has not yet been determined.
