cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/15940107

Dennis Falaschi charged in multi-million dollar scheme as records show he wasn’t only one to take water from California’s farm region

A former California water official has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal water in a deal with federal prosecutors in the state’s crop-rich central valley.

The Los Angeles Times reports Tuesday that 78-year-old Dennis Falaschi, who used to head the Panoche water district, entered the plea in federal court in Fresno. He also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.

Falaschi was accused in a case that alleged that more than $25m in water was stolen over two decades when it was siphoned from a federal irrigation canal through a secret pipe and sold to farmers and other water districts. The Panoche water district supplies irrigation for farmland in Fresno and Merced counties – much of it from the federal Delta-Mendota canal.

Authorities said in court documents that Falaschi wasn’t the only one taking water, but did not specify who else was involved. They estimated Falaschi stole less than $3.5m in water, a small portion of what they initially alleged had been stolen.

  • Carighan Maconar
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    397 months ago

    No. Im sorry, No. This has got to be The Onion. This is like the children’s cartoon Bond Villain version of a scheme. This is beyond insane. Come on!

    • 4grams
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      187 months ago

      it’s like we have all watched these dystopian future movies and instead of heeding their warning, we all said “hold my beer”.

    • Chainweasel
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      7 months ago

      As climate change continues to accelerate, expect more of these stories and expect them to soon start including violence.

    • slazer2au
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      57 months ago

      What do you mean children’s cartoon bond villain? Wasn’t taking over the water the plot in the second Daniel Craig Bond movie?

    • @[email protected]
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      87 months ago

      Just wait until patrols are added and cults start making trips to pray to such quantities of water.

  • @[email protected]
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    157 months ago

    Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, it’s a straw, you see? Watch it. Now my straw reaches across the room and starts to drink your milkshake. I… drink… your… milkshake. I drink it up!

  • Melkath
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    7 months ago

    https://kbin.social/m/[email protected]/t/1062249/Flood-water-use#entry-comment-6881433

    Here’s my half baked response.

    They can pipeline oil over thousands of miles.

    Why can’t they pipeline water?

    Oh shit. I think Nestlé heard me and all of our money goes to blowing up Palestinians, not giving drinkable water to Flint.

    Disregard please.

    11 hours ago in a post asking why America cant build infrastructure to collect flood water to be used during dry season/in regions that lack potable water…