Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Gerardo Rodrigo Vargas (DOB 11/16/80), of Oxnard, pled guilty on July 6, 2026, to one felony count of violation of civil rights stemming from a racially motivated confrontation outside an Oxnard grocery store. Vargas also admitted to several special allegations including a strike prior.

On May 13, 2026, Vargas confronted an African American man outside the Grocery Outlet located at 920 N. Ventura Road in Oxnard. The victim had arrived at the store to shop, and the two men were strangers. As the victim approached the entrance, Vargas quickly stood up, approached him, yelled the N-word multiple times and raised his fists. Vargas continued to threaten the victim, by saying, “I’m gonna f*** you up.” A store employee who knew Vargas intervened and prevented the confrontation from becoming physical.

“Hate crimes have no place in Ventura County,” District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said. “No one should be threatened or intimidated because of their race. This resolution holds the defendant accountable while reinforcing our commitment to protecting every member of our community and ensuring victims of hate crimes receive justice.”

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that the District Attorney’s Office has filed a juvenile petition alleging eight counts against a minor who allegedly led Ventura Police officers on a dangerous pursuit through city streets, onto State Route 126, and across the Buena High School campus while riding a e-motorcycle.

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Charity Faith Wiley (DOB 09/21/85), of Reseda, has pled guilty to second-degree murder for the death of a Simi Valley man. Wiley sold a deadly synthetic drug mixture of fentanyl and xylazine to the victim who overdosed and died. She also pled guilty to five additional felonies related to her drug possession, sales activity, gun possession, and money laundering. Wiley also admitted to several special allegations and aggravating factors, including that the manner in which the crimes were carried out indicated planning, sophistication, or professionalism.

“Today’s guilty plea sends a clear message that fentanyl dealers will be held accountable for the lives they destroy,” said District Attorney Nasarenko. “This is the first murder conviction in Ventura County stemming from a fentanyl overdose, and it reflects our commitment to pursuing every appropriate legal avenue against those who knowingly distribute this deadly drug.”

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that a jury has found Jalen Amir Yoakum (DOB 08/07/00), of Lancaster, guilty of multiple felony charges for trafficking, exploiting, and abusing a young woman over several months. The jury convicted Yoakum on June 29, 2026, of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, pimping, pandering by encouragement, corporal injury to a cohabitant, and dissuading a witness by force or threat. Several special allegations and aggravating factors were found true, including that Yoakum has a prior strike conviction, engaged in violent conduct, targeted a particularly vulnerable victim and involved another person in the commission of the crimes.

“This verdict recognizes the victim’s courage and the brutality she survived,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Rikole Kelly said. “Human trafficking does not always look like chains or locked doors. In this case, it hid under the guise of a relationship and was enforced through violence, fear, shame, and control.”

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji (DOB 05/06/73), of Moorpark, was sentenced to one year in Ventura County Jail and two years of felony probation for the death of Paul Kessler. Alnaji previously pleaded guilty on May 5, 2026, to felony involuntary manslaughter and felony battery causing serious bodily injury. He also admitted a special allegation that he personally inflicted great bodily injury, along with aggravating factors that he used a weapon and that the victim was particularly vulnerable. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office argued for a state prison sentence and objected to the court’s decision to impose one year of jail and probation.

Victim impact statements were submitted prior to the sentencing hearing for the court to read, including a statement from Mr. Kessler’s widow.

“There are no words to describe the pain of losing a husband in such a sudden and violent way,” his widow wrote. “The grief is relentless. The silence in our house, the absence of his voice, his companionship, his love and the future we had planned together are losses I carry with me every day.”