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  1. Coordinator Pleads Guilty in Fatal Imperial County Smuggling Incident Resulting in Thirteen Deaths

    Coordinator of the March 2, 2021, smuggling incident that resulted in thirteen fatalities near Holtville, California, pleads guilty in court today. Jose Cruz Noguez confessed that he and his co-conspirators smuggled a large number of undocumented migrants into the United States by loading them into modified SUVs and breaching the international boundary fence between Mexico and the United States.

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  2. Romanian Citizen Arrested and Charged In $5 Million Covid Relief Fraud

    Constantin Sandu of Romania was arrested and charged in a federal complaint for masterminding a scheme to steal more than $5 million in California unemployment insurance benefits intended to help workers impacted by the pandemic. The arrest was made after the Romanian suspect was found to have conspired with 214 unnamed Romanian co-conspirators across California and in Romania to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in California unemployment insurance benefits.

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  3. Former Wells Fargo Personal Banker Sentenced for Money Laundering and Bank Fraud

    Leopoldo Lora-Aguilera, a former Wells Fargo personal banker, was sentenced to 33 months in custody for money laundering conspiracy and bank fraud. Aguilera was involved in an international money laundering organization based in Tijuana, Mexico which laundered funds in excess of $12.5 million dollars before being disrupted by the FBI. Aguilera abused his position by opening and using bank accounts with false identities to wire transfer millions of dollars to Mexico, in exchange for cash payments from the criminal organization. The FBI investigation linked these funds to the sale of narcotics by a Mexican drug cartel; Melisa Valdivia Diaz, Alma Leticia Murillo Valdivia and Jorge Alberto Ortiz Borrego have also been arrested for participating in the scheme

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  4. 17th Annual San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition Brings 700+ Students to Court

    Over 755 San Diego County high school students competed in the 17th annual San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition, marking it the largest competition to date. Students tackled a criminal trial scenario, arguing pretrial issues involving the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. The competition aims to give students hands-on experience in learning about the law and the Constitution, with state and federal judges volunteering their time during the trials and attorneys coaching the high school students. The winner will go on to represent San Diego County in the Statewide Mock Trial Competition next month.

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  5. Three San Diego Residents Sentenced for Conspiring to Kidnap a Former Business Associate with Intent to Intimidate or Murder

    Three San Diego residents have been sentenced for conspiring to kidnap their former business associate with the intent to intimidate or murder him. The defendants, Salam Razuki, Sylvia Gonzales, and Elizabeth Juarez, were sentenced to prison terms of 84 and 46 months for their involvement. The victim was to be taken to Mexico to prevent their ongoing business disputes from resulting in monetary judgments against the defendants. The plan was thwarted when the person solicited to commit the crime alerted the FBI, and subsequent planning meetings were recorded. The defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

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