All posts tagged: Sacramento

Sacramento beauty queen admits M investment fraud funding gambling and trips

Sacramento beauty queen admits $10M investment fraud funding gambling and trips

A Sacramento beauty queen who admitted running a multimillion-dollar investment fraud scheme also used a portion of the stolen money for casino gambling, federal authorities say. Maria Dickerson, 47, who also used the names “Dulce Pino” and “Maria Dulce Pino Dickerson,” pleaded guilty to wire fraud and securities fraud. Prosecutors say she convinced investors to pour money into what she described as a lucrative legal-financing business. Instead, authorities say, a significant portion of the cash went toward her own spending, including gambling. A #Sacramento woman pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud for her role in a fraudulent investment scheme as a result of our investigation with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Alabama Securities… pic.twitter.com/Zb7x8W9HX1 — FBI Sacramento (@FBISacramento) March 11, 2026 The scheme ran from about 2020 through 2024, beginning the same year she won a Ms. Woman Nevada pageant. During that time, Dickerson solicited money from roughly 156 investors through her company, Creative Legal Fundings of California. According to a civil complaint …

Sacramento deputies dismantle sprawling illegal gambling network after lengthy investigation

Sacramento deputies dismantle sprawling illegal gambling network after lengthy investigation

Sacramento County detectives say they have broken up what they describe as a “large-scale illegal gambling network operating in our region and impacting residential communities,” the result of an investigation that stretched on for months and focused on a suspected criminal organization. The Sheriff’s Office shared details of the case in a Facebook post, explaining that the inquiry began in April 2025. At that point, detectives “began investigating a criminal organization suspected of violating California Penal Code 330 (illegal gambling) and 337a(a) (bookmaking).” Over time, investigators zeroed in on six people they believe played key roles in a network of underground casinos spread across Northern California. Authorities identified Theaplus Osborne, Dana Green, James Frazier, Herman Hawkins, and Thurston Bershell among those involved. Deputies gather during a nighttime operation captured on arrest video. Credit: Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office / Facebook According to investigators, the operation followed a clear chain of command. They allege Osborne directed activity at eight separate gambling locations while “multiple co-conspirators handling daily operations.” Many of the sites were set up “out of …

Man jailed for 301 years to life over Sacramento gambling robbery

Man jailed for 301 years to life over Sacramento gambling robbery

Two men have been sentenced for their part in an attempted illegal gambling house robbery in Sacramento, with one receiving 301 years to life. The defendants, Eddie Lee White and John Edward Blount, were prosecuted by Jordan Avey of the Major Crimes Unit. They faced charges, including six counts of robbery and three counts of attempted robbery, stemming from an armed raid of a location hosting illegal gambling activity. Garage gambling theft case reaches sentencing The case was brought forward by the investigative efforts of the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, and points to the prosecution of both men who attempted the firearms raid on the gambling den in 2018. A woman at the residence called 911 at 1:20 a.m. Monday, reporting armed men in the garage at her home on the 3700 block of 42nd Avenue. Two men sentenced for home invasion robbery at illegal Sacramento gambling house https://t.co/F7TdZedrAr — The Sacramento Bee (@sacbee_news) February 10, 2026 “The men demanded money and other items from people playing cards and possibly gambling in the garage,” the woman …

Food, history and glorious trees: A weekend in Sacramento

Food, history and glorious trees: A weekend in Sacramento

Be honest: If you were asked to list cities you’d want to visit in our great state, you’d probably go through at least 10 before you got to Sacramento, our capital. San Diego would be on it since it has beaches. Napa would be near the top because of the wine. But Sacramento? What does it have? Politicians? Well, believe it or not, even the politicians didn’t choose Sacramento at first. When California became the 31st state on Sept. 9, 1850, its government designated San Jose as the official capital. The state capital moved twice more, to Vallejo and Benicia, before they finally settled on Sacramento in 1854. Construction of the capitol building as we know it today wasn’t completed until 20 years later. Despite visiting many other state capitals, I hadn’t been to Sacramento. It wasn’t on my list. But some inexplicable force recently drew me to the town. OK, maybe it was “Lady Bird.” You, too, might have been clued into Sacramento’s charms by filmmaker Greta Gerwig’s 2017 solo directorial debut film. The …