Tag Archive for: water theft

Former California Water Official Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Steal Water From Irrigation Canal

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

A former California water official has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal water in a deal with federal prosecutors in the state’s crop-rich Central Valley. The Los Angeles Times reports Tuesday that 78-year-old Dennis Falaschi, who used to head the Panoche Water District, entered the plea in federal court in Fresno. He also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.

Full Story

Feds Say He Masterminded an Epic California Water Heist. Some Farmers Say He’s Their Robin Hood

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jessica Garrison

Robert Zavala was fresh out of the Marines and looking to escape dead-end work at a poultry plant in the early 1990s when his old baseball coach — now the head of a local water district — swooped to the rescue with a job offer.

Full Story

Baja California Governor Accuses Big US Companies of Water Theft

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union Tribuneby Wendy Fry

An independent audit of Baja California’s water agency alleges that former employees of the utility colluded with international corporations to defraud the state out of at least $49.4 million, according to an auditor and the governor of the state.

Full Story