Nicole Hernandez. Photo by Richmond PD.

By Richmond Police Department

On 07-18-2019, 33-year-old Nicole Marie Hernandez was convicted of pimping two women and sentenced to three years in State Prison. The victims were originally intercepted by the Richmond Police while loitering for prostitution in the 23rd Street Corridor on March 21. Hernandez had rented them a room at the nearby Civic Center Motel. Forensic analysis of the victims’ cell phones revealed that the two were working as prostitutes for Hernandez. One of the victims even referred to Hernandez as “boss lady” in evidence recovered from her cell phone.

Human Trafficking Unit Supervisor Dana Filkowski prosecuted the case for the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. She emphasized that “just as pimping and pandering crimes don’t respect jurisdictional boundaries, they also don’t respect gender boundaries. Women can be pimps just like men and they will be prosecuted and held accountable just like men.”

If you or someone you know is being pressured or encouraged to engage in prostitution to benefit or help support another person, help is only a phone call away. Contact Community Violence Solutions at 800-670-7273to speak to a confidential counselor. Or visit the Contra Costa Family Justice Centers in Richmond, Concord or Antioch to talk to a Navigator about a variety of services and support available right here in Contra Costa County. The Family Justice Centers are a family-friendly one-stop center serving victims of human trafficking, domestic violence and other types of interpersonal violence. No appointment is needed and the centers are located at 256 24th Street in Richmond, 2151 Salvio St., Ste. 201 in Concord or 3501 Lone Tree Way in Antioch.

To learn more about human trafficking in Contra Costa County, visit the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Coalition’s webpage at www.contracostacoalition.org.

Stephen McDonald. Photo by Hercules PD.

By Hercules Police Department

On June 24, 2019, at approximately 1:05 pm, an Officer attempted to stop a red, 2015, Nissan Altima, on San Pablo Avenue near Sycamore Avenue for speeding. The vehicle did not yield for the officer’s emergency lights and turned east onto Sycamore Avenue. The vehicle started to cut in and out of traffic while still ignoring the Officers emergency lights. The vehicle drove through a red traffic light and then continued to weave in and out of traffic east bound on Sycamore Avenue. The vehicle finally yielded in the Rite Aid Parking lot near the Turquoise Drive entrance.

The driver, 53-year-old Stephen McDonald from Hercules, was detained. McDonald displayed objective signs of being intoxicated. McDonald was placed under arrest for Evading the Police and DUI and ultimately transported to jail.

From post on Hercules PD Facebook page on Wed., July 17, 2019.

Shaneta Brown. Photo by Hercules Police.

By Hercules Police Department

On July 10, 2019, at 5:12 A.M., the Hercules Police Traffic Officer was conducting traffic enforcement in the area of John Muir Parkway. He noticed a Honda Civic that was described as a felony vehicle and trailed it to westbound I-80 at the Appian Way off ramp. Dispatch confirmed the felony vehicle and he initiated a felony stop. The Honda was used as a getaway vehicle in an armed robbery that occurred in Antioch on July 9, 2019. The driver, 26-year-old Shaneta Brown, of Pittsburg was detained.

She had an unrelated warrant for theft out of Antioch. Antioch P.D. arrived to take custody of the Honda and Brown was transported to Martinez Detention Facility.

During the felony stop, a traffic break was initiated and lasted approximately five minutes.

Lynette Williams. Photo by Hercules Police.

By Hercules Police Department

On July 10, 2019 at 10:09 a.m. An Officer did a traffic enforcement stop on a Silver ’97 Honda Civic on Sycamore Ave. at Taco Bell for a traffic violation. The driver was contacted and gave the Officer a California Driver’s License (CDL) falsely identifying herself as another person. The Officer looked at the photo on the CDL and saw the photo did not match the drivers characteristics. The driver insisted she was the person photographed but, was detained. The driver then falsely identified herself as another female. The driver eventually admitted her true identity and was identified as (A) Lynette Williams (DOB 07/24/67) of Vallejo.

Williams was found to have a total of 7 outstanding Misdemeanor Warrants for theft related crimes out of both Solano and Napa Counties. Williams was arrested and during a search of the vehicle, several credit cards, California driver’s licenses and social security cards were located, none of which belonged to Williams.

Several victims got their property back thanks to you.

Photo by Richmond PD.

By Richmond Police

Auto Burglary

An auto burglary took place on June 26th around 10:40PM. Officers responded to Railroad Ave and E. Richmond Street and discovered broken glass. The victim’s car window was shattered, and the following equipment was stolen:

+ (2) Drones: DJI Mavic 2 Zoom + Mavic 2 Pro

+Nikon D800

+Lenses: 24-70, 70-200, 60, 85, 10.5, SB-800 Speedlight

+Light meter

+Apple Macbook Pro

+Apple Macbook Air

+Black Pelican case

Officers are currently looking for a potential suspect(s). If you have any information, please contact Dt. Martin at (510) 672-0611.

As a friendly reminder, be sure to remove all visible valuables from your vehicle.

Jeremy Orr was sentenced to 30 months in prison for wire fraud after filing more than 200 fraudulent income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of California, David L. Anderson and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter.  The sentence was handed down today by the Honorable Jeffrey S. White, U.S. District Judge.

Orr, 36, of Richmond, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on March 12, 2019.  According to his plea agreement, Orr admitted he devised a scheme to defraud the IRS of hundreds of thousands of dollars by filing false federal income tax returns.  Orr obtained the personal identification information of individuals in and around the Bay Area and prepared false 2011 federal income tax returns in the names of those individuals.  The tax returns reported false wages, false education expenses, or both, that generated a fraudulent income tax refund.  In sum, Orr electronically filed more than 200 false tax returns with the IRS resulting in claimed fraudulent tax refunds totaling $335,142.

A federal grand jury indicted Orr on January 15, 2015, charging him with four counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and four counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A.  Orr pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and the remaining charges were dismissed.

In addition to the prison term, Judge White ordered the defendant to serve a three-year period of supervised release.  The defendant was remanded into custody on June 12, 2018, and will begin serving his prison term immediately.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Olivera is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jessica Rodriguez Gonzalez and Katie Turner.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the IRS-CI.

Illegal gun found at suspect’s home and drugs found in his shoe at Richmond jail. Photos by Richmond PD.

By Richmond PD

***Air Jordan***

Recently, Richmond PD’s SIS Gang Unit arrested a known drug dealer with controlled substances and a large amount of money on his person. Once in the jail, officers discovered the suspect concealing more narcotics in his shoe and in other body locations. The SIS Gang Unit then performed a search warrant on the suspect’s home, locating more narcotics, money and an illegal firearm. This is the fourth time this year a gun has been recovered from this suspect. Great work RPD Gang Unit!