Stanislaus District Attorney’s Office receives federal award

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday awarded the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office for its collaboration, particularly in law enforcement efforts against violent gangs and mortgage fraud.

District Attorney Birgit Fladager said her office is grateful for the federal recognition, the Outstanding Law Enforcement Agency Award for the Eastern District of California. “Serving crime victims and holding criminals accountable can best be done when working together,” she said in a news release.

“The investigators with the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office deserve particular recognition for their skill, diligence, and spirit of cooperation,” U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner said in the news release.

Wagner recognized the work of Lt. Froilan Mariscal and Investigator Glenn Gulley.

Mariscal spearheaded a federal task force investigation of the Nuestra Familia prison gang, which directs criminal activity of the Norteño street gang throughout the region. The case resulted in a racketeering prosecution involving a series of jail assaults, drug trafficking, an armed home invasion and carjacking and a shooting. The lead defendant received a 20-year prison sentence, and nine co-defendants have pleaded guilty.

Gulley worked on the FBI’s mortgage fraud task force and continues to work with federal investigators on several pending fraud cases. Gulley investigated the case against Xue Heu, a serial investment fraudster who posed as a government official to sell distressed properties to unwitting investors, according to federal prosecutors. Gulley’s effort resulted in a prison sentence of more than five years for Heu and a state court conviction for Heu’s criminal conduct while on bail.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Stanislaus District Attorney’s Office receives federal award."