14 Bay Area residents have been indicted and charged with conspiracy to manufacture at least 1000 marijuana plants and manufacturing at least 1000 marijuana plants arising out of a wide-scale, sophisticated indoor marijuana cultivation operation in the Central Valley, California. The federal grand jury also returned a separate indictment charging five Bay Area residents with 26 counts of mail fraud in

Myra Holmes, 52, Vallejo, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury with concealment of assets and bank fraud.

The indictment, which was issued on Sept. 23, 2009, remained under seal until yesterday morning when Holmes was arrested in Vallejo. Holmes made her initial appearance in federal court in San

Richard Nazabal, 51, a Rancho Cucamonga, California, real estate agent, was sentenced to nine years in state prison and ordered to pay restitution to his victims as well as Franchise Tax Board. The total amount of restitution is still being determined.

Nazabal pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft and one count of state income tax evasion.

The Franchise

Veronica Sanchez Gallegos, 28, Ventura, California, a licensed real estate agent, pled guilty on August 6, 2009, to one felony count of theft from an elder, five felony counts of grand theft, and admitted a special allegation of taking more than $500,000.

In an investigation conducted by the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation, it was determined that Gallegos conducted

386 mortgage foreclosure consultants have been threatened by possible criminal and civil prosecution unless they post $100,000 bonds and register with California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s office. Additionally, more than two dozen companies were ordered to justify suspicious loan modification claims made in “slick advertising,” online and through the mail.

Brown has sent letters directing 386 mortgage foreclosure consultants to register with his office within 10 days and

Anita Mendoza, 44, Chino Hills, California, has been arrested by Investigators with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit for eight felony counts including grand theft, forgery, and filing forged documents with the County Recorder’s Office.

In 2006, Mendoza allegedly forged the victim’s signature on a Grant Deed and Deeds of Trust. Two

Gilfert Welton Jackson, 64, Los Angeles, California, was arrested without incident at a homeowner’s residence in Los Angeles by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies and turned over to special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Jackson was taken into federal custody on charges that he has been defrauding homeowners by falsely promising them that he could prevent