SANTA CRUZ – On January 16-17, 2018, California Department of Justice (DOJ) special agents worked with local law enforcement officers in Santa Cruz County, conducting a firearms recovery operation. Special agents with the DOJ Bureau of Firearms, along with Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies, and Santa Cruz and Wantsonville police, were investigating people prohibited from […]
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Four California Residents Busted for Running Illegal Gambling Business
SACRAMENTO— On December 28, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted four suspects from San Francisco and the East Bay Area, charging them with conducting an illegal gambling business throughout Northern California. Indicted were Yaniv Gohar, 34, of Berkeley, Orel Gohar, 27, of San Francisco, Eran Buhbut, 32, of Oakland, and May Levy, 26, of Walnut […]
California DOJ Agents Target Mexican Mafia and Drug Cartel
RIVERSIDE – A November 9, 2017 California Department of Justice operation targeting the Mexican mafia and drug cartel resulted in the arrest of 47 suspects; the seizure of 36 firearms, including assault weapons; and the seizure of 12 pounds of methamphetamine, three pounds of heroin, 120 pounds of marijuana, 60 pounds of cocaine, and $35,000 in […]
Jury in El Dorado County Convicts Sex Assault Suspect
EL DORADO COUNTY – On November 8, 2017, a jury in El Dorado County convicted Manuel Ovidio Ramos-Munoz of seven felony counts including kidnapping and sexual assault for the attack on a 22-year-old woman June 11, 2015. The victim had recently arrived at in the United States from Macedonia to work for the summer as […]
California DOJ Agents Crackdown on Gang Activity in San Bernardino County
SAN BERNADINO – On June 30, 2017, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the results of a huge gang crackdown in San Bernardino County, in which California Department of Justice special agents worked with local and federal law enforcement partners during a four-month-long investigation. The teams of law enforcement officers arrested 86 suspects and seized 43 […]
Humboldt County Jury Convicts Devin Schmidt of Arson
EUREKA – On January 19, 2017, a Humboldt County jury convicted Devin Lee James Schmidt, 24, of arson, following a trial that included testimony by California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) and Association of Criminalists-DOJ (AC-DOJ) Member Lynn Melgoza. Melgoza is criminalist supervisor at California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services. Schmidt started a […]
DOJ Criminalists’ Assistance in Shasta County Murder Investigation Leads to Suspect’s Arrest
BURNEY- On January 19, 2017, Shasta County Sheriff’s detectives arrested Juan Manuel Venegas, 39, for the murder of David Wicks, a Johnson Park gas station attendant who died after being sprayed with a flammable liquid and set on fire. The arrest followed a month-long investigation which included pieces of evidence that were sent to the […]
67 Arrested in Operation “Bad Blood” Targeting Inland Empire Gangs
FONTANA – On January 12, 2017, the Fontana Police Department announced the conclusion of a six-month investigation that targeted two violent gangs in San Bernardino County. The investigation led to the arrests of 67 suspects and the seizure of weapons, ammunition, prescription medications, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. Operation “Bad Blood” involved more than 350 law […]
DOJ Special Agents Seize 40 Firearms From Chula Vista Home
CHULA VISTA – On August 3, 2016, California Department of Justice (DOJ) special agents and Chula Vista police seized more than 40 firearms from a Chula Vista resident who is forbidden by law from owning or possessing firearms. The person in possession of the weapons is in DOJ’s Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database […]
DOJ Special Agents Target Illegal Gambling in Solano County
SOLANO COUNTY – On July 12, 2016, special agents with the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gaming Control seized gambling equipment at internet cafes in Fairfield and Vallejo. At the Talk N Win in Fairfield, special agents seized 20 illegal gambling computers, shutting down the business. They also seized 19 illegal gambling computers from […]
