Cases & Press Releases

Dakota Jeremiah Pevino, aka Dakota Jeremiah Viggiano, 36, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

The FBI is seeking to identify victims of Pevino. Pevinovictims@fbi.gov

 ****Click on image on the left to read full press release.

On November 9, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Dakota Jeremiah Pevino, 35, of Sacramento, charging him with sexual exploitation of a child and distribution and possession of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

The FBI is seeking to identify victims of Pevino.

 ****Click on image on the left to read full press release.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Terry Francis Le Clair, 64, of Shingle Springs, charging him with sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

 ****Click on image on the left to read full press release.

The Honorable Steve White sentenced Michael Leonard to 775 years to life in prison.  On March 3, 2022 a jury convicted Leonard of 41 counts of various child molestation and exploitation charges involving twelve victims.

 ****Click on image on the left to read full press release.

Jaziz Jesahias Cea, 24, of Galt, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for transportation, receipt, and possession of visual depictions of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

 ****Click on image on the left to read full press release.

Tyler Shayne Nelson, 28, of Rancho Cordova, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to 15 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release for sexual exploitation of a child, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

 ****Click on image on the left to read full press release.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office announced a total of 18 men from the Sacramento Region have been arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on various felony charges related to arranging to meet with a child for sex.

Today the Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) announced the arrest of Jagvir Singh, of Sacramento, age 22. The arrest was the culmination of an investigation that began in September. During the investigation, Detectives learned Singh was traveling from Sacramento to Chico for the past several months, for the purpose of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor victim.

 ****Click on image on the left to read full press release.

Elk Grove Police Department detectives working in conjunction with the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Bureau arrested 54-year-old Larry Capello, of Elk Grove for possession of child pornography.

  ****Click on image on the left to read full press release.  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Today, U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb sentenced William Lamar Blessett, 40, of North Highlands, to 20 years in prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

 ****Click on image on the left to read full press release. 

On Wednesday, May 22, 2019, The Department of Justice honored members of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force for their investigation that resulted in the timely arrest of a sexual predator who victimized at least five children and who had a foster child in his care at the time of his arrest.

** To view the full press release from the Department of Justice please click on the image of the press release.

On February 15th, 2019 Sacramento County Deputies were called to a Sacramento area bank regarding a skimming device that had been placed on the bank ATM. Deputies took custody of the skimming device and notified Sacramento County Hi-Tech Crimes Detectives.

Sacramento County Hi-Tech Crimes Detectives found similar devices were located on ATM’s in Folsom as well as in the Reno Nevada area. It was discovered the skimming devices had compromised the account information of approximately 40 individuals in the Sacramento area. The investigation revealed devices were placed at the ATMs by the same group of individuals. Detectives were able to identify the vehicle being used by the suspects. The registered owner of the vehicle was contacted and it was determined that the vehicle had been rented to another individual who was not from the area. Detectives developed probable cause and obtained an arrest warrant for the person who rented the vehicle.

On March 14th, 2019 detectives received information that the suspect was possibly in the Sacramento area. Sacramento County Hi-Tech Crimes Detectives along with the Folsom Police Department conducted surveillance at locations where the suspect was known to frequent.

The suspect was observed in the downtown Sacramento area entering an apartment complex. When the suspect exited the apartment complex he was detained along with three other suspects. The suspect admitted to living in the apartment with three other individuals, who had also been detained. Detectives obtained a search warrant for the apartment and during a subsequent search, located approximately 20 ATM skimming devices, numerous recording devices designed and built to be concealed at ATMs, a large volume of re-encoded debit cards, manufacturing equipment needed to design and build more skimming devices, and several computers and equipment needed to re-encode debit/credit cards. 

All four suspects were placed under arrest and booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail. Detectives are conducting follow-up investigation as information was located which shows the suspects had potentially been active in the United States from Arizona to Washington since December of 2018.

Sergeant Shaun Hampton

Sheriff’s Spokesman

Sacramento - With the holiday shopping season in full swing, the Internal Revenue Service and Security Summit partners warn taxpayers to take extra steps to protect their tax and financial data from identity thieves. 

The holidays offer cybercriminals a chance to steal financial account information, Social Security numbers, credit card information and other sensitive data to help them file a fraudulent tax return in 2019. 

The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax community, partners in the Security Summit, marked “National Tax Security Awareness Week” Dec. 3 -7, with a series of reminders to taxpayers and tax professionals. The IRS and its security partners recently held a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 6, to remind taxpayers how to protect their information when online shopping and giving to charities. 

“Whether you are an individual or a business owner please – be on the lookout,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Tara Sullivan. “For individuals, choose your return preparer wisely! Remember, you are giving this person ALL of your personal identifying information and all of your financial information. Make sure it is someone you trust. Avoid fly-by-night return preparers who may not be available after the filing deadline and those who base fees on a percentage of the refund. As for business owners, identify and control who has access to your sensitive business information, and limit employee access to that data. Install and update anti-virus, anti-spyware, and other anti-malware programs, and maintain and monitor logs. We are all targets, and it is critical that we protect our own sensitive tax and financial data.” 

According to Alma Galvan of the Better Business Bureau, "Consumers should always be sure to research a business or service before hiring them; this is especially true for tax preparation services. Scam artists often rely on intimidation, isolation, and the pressure to act quickly. Tax collection scams often employ all three to bully their targets into compliance. Don't let your emotions overcome you, and when in doubt, contact your local Better Business Bureau." 

“Scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated as they try to commit ID theft and file fraudulent tax returns,” said Daniel Tahara, Public Affairs Officer of the California Franchise Tax Board. “That’s why we encourage taxpayers and businesses to remain vigilant. Remember: If the Franchise Tax Board needs to speak to you about your state income taxes, we will reach out by mail. We will only call you if we are unable to contact you after sending multiple letters. What is comes down to is we want to make sure that we’re sending the correct refund to the correct person. We take information security very seriously because in the end, ID theft hurts all of us.” 

"With the holiday season in high gear, cybercriminals will be hard at work trying to compromise your personal information," said Detective Sean Smith of the Sacramento Valley Hi Tech Crimes Task Force. “It is paramount that consumers check their accounts regularly for any unusual activity and to practice good safety measures with their online shopping habits. Beware of fraudulent websites which may resemble legitimate ones. The safest way to ensure you reach a reputable site is to type in the address yourself. Be cautious on clicking links in emails from unknown sources, and refrain from using public wireless networks to conduct any financial transactions as this can expose you to hackers. Above all, if you are compromised, report the event to your financial institution and to your local law enforcement agency. With a little diligence and common sense safety, you can definitely keep yourself safer online.” 

“The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is committed to fighting fraud alongside our local, state and federal partners,” said Yolo County District Attorney Investigator Paul Hillegass. “The Yolo County DA’s office has a dedicated fraud reporting hotline and email which makes it easy to report to our office. Our fight against fraud is broad with units focusing on Hi-Tech crimes, consumer fraud, real estate and auto insurance fraud, and workers’ compensation fraud. Recently, the DA’s office launched its new Spanish Language Services. With the implementation of a website in Spanish, a Spanish Facebook page, as well as the ability to communicate with our office through email, telephone, texting, or WhatsApp the DA’s office is dedicated to reaching Spanish speakers in our community.” 

The National Tax Security Awareness Week focused on key issues that pose threats to individuals, businesses and tax professionals and provides tips to better protect sensitive data from cybercriminals. 

The campaign highlighted simple steps taxpayers can take such as using strong security software and strong passwords. It also highlighted common tactics used by identity thieves to target taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals. 

The IRS also is launching a special Twitter handle called @IRSTaxSecurity to share the latest scam and security alerts that routinely increase during tax season. Taxpayers can follow @IRSTaxSecurity. The Summit partners encourage people to share security information using the #TaxSecurity hashtag. 

Taxpayers looking to spread the word and show their support for this effort can also add a temporary National Tax Security Awareness Week overlay to their profile photos on Facebook through Dec. 7. 

Yolo County District Attorney’s Office Fraud Hotline (English) : 1-855-496-5632 or email at fraud@yoloda.org 

Spanish services, website: https://fiscaliadeyolo.org/, email: info@fiscaliadeyolo.org, Phone: 530-406-4525, Text and WhatsApp: 530-908-1579 

Detectives assigned to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force have made an arrest and are continuing to investigate a sextortion case.

Detectives became aware of an adult male who was extorting victims via Snapchat. Specifically, the suspect was threatening to post nude images of the victims online. 

As part of these alleged crimes, the suspect would ask the victims to meet him in Carmichael area parks and in at least one case the suspect was reported to have sexually assaulted a victim.  Several juvenile victims have come forward to report the aforementioned behavior. 

Numerous images of potential victims have been found on accounts associated with the suspect. 

On November 20, 2018, detectives arrested a suspect in this case. The suspect was arrested on for numerous charges including extortion, attempted extortion, communication with a minor with intent to commit a sex crime, forced oral copulation, and possession of child pornography. The suspect has posted bail and has since been released from custody pending further court proceedings.

Detectives are still trying to identify victims and locations where incidents may have occurred.  In order to maintain the integrity of current and on-going investigations, the suspect’s name and booking photo are not being released at this time.

Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding similar situations to contact the Sheriff's Office at (916) 874-3002. Anonymous tips may also be provided by visiting www.sacsheriff.com or by calling (916) 874-TIPS.

To learn more about this investigation, please follow this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/XkPqf_EsdRc

For more information about the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and their mission in our community, please visit 

https://www.sacsheriff.com/Pages/Organization/CID/HiTech.aspx.

Sergeant Shaun Hampton

Sheriff’s Spokesman