News Releases

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that John Williams (DOB 03/04/93), of Ventura, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, to five years four months in state prison for vandalism involving swastikas on public and private property.

In a victim impact statement submitted to the court, one of the three victims described the effect of Williams’ actions:
“His deliberate choice to plaster Nazi swastikas—symbols of hate, fear, and division—across public and private spaces was not mere vandalism, but an attack on the safety and unity our community strives to maintain. No one should have to live in fear of hate symbols or the hidden danger of someone like John Williams.”

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Omar Hernandez Ruiz (DOB 07/27/87), of Santa Paula, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, to 35 years to life in state prison pursuant to California’s three strikes law. Ruiz previously pled guilty on August 18, 2025, to one felony count of conspiracy to transport or sell methamphetamine. He also admitted all special allegations and aggravating factors, including strike priors and committing the crime for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang.

Ruiz, a prison gang member, was incarcerated at the California State Prison, Centinela at the time of these crimes. He is already serving 156 years to life in prison for a 2013 Santa Paula murder and assault on a peace officer.

“The complex criminal enterprise that Ruiz was running from prison underscores the threat to public safety he presents even while incarcerated,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Leija, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Major Crimes Gang Unit. “When he returns to state prison, we hope this sentence puts an end to his ability to orchestrate criminal activity from behind bars.”

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Gonzalo Robles Zurita (DOB 10/10/88), of Oxnard, has been charged with felony workers’ compensation insurance fraud for allegedly claiming that an arm injury he received in 2022 occurred at his place of employment. He is also charged with one felony count of attempted perjury under oath for statements made during a sworn deposition regarding the arm injury. Zurita made his first court appearance on September 11, 2025, where he pled not guilty to all charges.

Assembly Bill 1344, authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin and sponsored by Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, successfully passed out of the State Assembly on Monday, September 8, and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom for consideration. The bill would authorize a pilot program allowing district attorneys in select counties to directly petition the courts for Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs), commonly referred to as “Red Flag Laws.”

“When someone poses an imminent threat of violence to themselves or others by having a firearm, gun violence restraining orders can be a lifesaving tool,” said District Attorney Nasarenko. “Local prosecutors are uniquely qualified to assist law enforcement in obtaining these restraining orders and AB 1344 gives us the legal authority to step in and prevent tragedy before it happens. I urge the Governor to sign Assemblymember Irwin’s sensible bill into law.”

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Ray Allan Villanueva III (DOB 10/21/66) of Moorpark, and Jimmy Daniel Coronado (DOB 09/12/81) of Oxnard, have been charged with bribery for soliciting a bribe from a contractor in return for a building permit in the City of Thousand Oaks. Villanueva is a Building Inspector for the City of Thousand Oaks. Both men were arrested today by Investigators with the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation.

“City employees must serve the public honestly, not try to profit from their position,” said District Attorney Nasarenko. “When someone is alleged to have abused their authority, it hurts trust in local government, undermines public safety, and shakes our confidence that the permitting process is fair and impartial.”

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Jacob Saldivar (DOB 06/01/02), of Oxnard, pled guilty on September 8, 2025, to 12 felonies including the murder of Charles Barber in 2019. Before and after the murder, Saldivar committed a series of crimes which he pled guilty to, including seven counts of robbery, two counts of residential burglary, sodomy of a person under 18, and unlawful sexual intercourse.

Due to the violent nature and Saldivar’s crimes, Ventura County prosecutors argued and were successful at transferring the case to adult court.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office today announced that forensic work conducted as part of the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (VCSAKI) led to the indictment of a suspect in four previously unsolved sexual assault cases in Phoenix, Arizona.

The defendant, Abraham Ramirez (DOB 08/19/70), was indicted in Maricopa County Superior Court on 11 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping.

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Margarita Jimenez (DOB 02/03/91), of Oxnard, and Jorge Garfias (DOB 08/31/87), of Ventura, have been convicted by a jury of the first-degree murder of Yanelly Vargas. The jury also found true the special allegation that Jimenez personally and intentionally discharged a firearm. Jimenez and Garfias were found not guilty of kidnapping the victim. A court trial on additional special allegations and aggravating factors will take place on Monday September 8, 2025.

The Ventura County Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, made up of the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation and the FBI, arrested six people in Ventura County during a two-week enforcement operation targeting the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The operation was made successful by the valuable assistance of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Ventura Police Department, Santa Paula Police Department, Oxnard Police Department, and Southern California High Tech Task Force.

The coordinated effort was executed between August 18, 2025, and August 29, 2025. In all, 11 search warrants approved by Superior Court Judges, including three for residential locations, were served for Investigators to obtain vital evidence in these cases.

After a seven-day preliminary hearing, a Ventura County Superior Court Judge has ordered Rotherie Durell Foster (DOB 11/03/85), of Camarillo, to stand trial on 35 felony counts, including the murders of Jose Velasquez and Bill Levy, a violent armed robbery in Fillmore, and a series of financial fraud crimes. The court also held Foster to answer on six special circumstances and all special allegations alleged by prosecutors, including murder for financial gain, personal and intentional discharge of a firearm, and murder by poison.

Foster is scheduled to be arraigned on the information on October 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. He remains in custody with no bail.