Mayor of Huron Arrested on Theft and Fraud Charges

Fresno, Calif. (KFSN) -- Mayor Ramon Dominguez is accused of several financial crimes, including fraud and grand theft.

For fifteen years, Dominguez has been Mayor of Huron in Western Fresno County. The town is home to just more than six -thousand people. It's known as the lettuce capital. During harvest season, as much as 95-percent of the lettuce consumed in the United States comes from Huron. It's a community fueled by its Ag production. Just days ago the city was the site of a live cable news broadcast about the impact the lack of water is having on the Ag industry.

       |   Watch Videos Above for More Information on this Story   |

The investigation was started months ago when Mayor Dominguez was sued for selling a piece of property to a church. Huron Police turned the case over to the sheriff's department.

Ramon Dominguez has served as Mayor of Huron for 15 years. Sheriff Margaret Mims says his arrest shows no one is above the law. She said, "Public officials as well as the general public are going to be held accountable even if it means serving a search warrant on a city hall."

Dominguez was arrested on charges of converting real estate, selling property that didn't belong to him, to a church. He was also charged with possession of stolen property. Two computers allegedly taken from the school district where he worked were found in his home.

Sheriff Mims said, "When they were found at his residence the school district was notified they confirmed he did not have permission to find them. So today, they filed the missing property report with the Huron PD."

In addition, the Sheriff says three sawed off shotguns were found in the Mayor's home. She said, "They were illegal for anybody to have. They were altered to the point they were illegal to possess anywhere."

Dominguez has not been charged with a weapons violation, but an investigation is underway. Ramon Dominguez is in the Fresno County Jail; his bail is set at $30,000.

      MORE POLITICS NEWS | TWEET@ABC30 | FREE ABC30 WIDGET
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sign up for Breaking News Alerts
Breaking News E-Mail Alerts | Text Message Alerts
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More News on abc30.com
Local California/State | National/World | Weather | Entertainment | Business | | Sports | Health Watch | Consumer Watch | Mr. Food |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get more Politics »

politics, gene haagenson

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•