Man linked to Medi-Cal healthcare fraud arrested in El Centro

KYMA on April 18, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – A major healthcare fraud takedown, and investigators say the scheme may have ties to a man who owns a health care agency in Imperial County.

During a press conference, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at least eight people are facing charges in what prosecutors call a $261 million Medi-Cal hospice fraud.

The suspects are accused of using stolen identities to enroll people in hospice care without their knowledge, and then billing Medi-Cal for services that were never provided.

Levon Darakchyan, the CEO of trusted care home health in El Centro, was taken into custody in Imperial County on April 8 on an out-of-county warrant. 

“We found that those involved in this fraud, in this scheme would purchase personal identifying information for people for people who live outside of California on the dark web.”

The California Health and Human services secretary says the effort is part of a national crack down on fraud.

The process from investigation to arrest and charges often take years.

“As you heard, the scheme involved 14 fraudulent hospice providers operating as part of a transnational criminal network, mirroring broader fraud trends we are seeing across the country.”

The state has not released full details of every location tied to the investigation, but say the case remains active.

Trusted Care in El Centro was not raided and no employees have been implicated.

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Brawley High School students want to honor classmates

KYMA on April 18, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA) – Friends and family of local students who have died in Brawley want to honor those students at this year’s graduation ceremony.

On Wednesday night, two students asked the Brawley Union High School Board to recognize five students who have died in the last four years.

That includes Sophie Castillo Torres, who passed away after suffering a seizure during P.E. class.

They suggested that the students parents be allowed to receive diplomas on their behalf, and that photos of the deceased students be displayed during the ceremony.

The classmates said it would mean a lot to them, as they all grew up together, and they are still struggling with their losses.

This comes as the 2026 graduation tee shirt did not include the deceased student’s names.

“I need an answer soon so I can tell my peers who love them who appreciate them, and also those kids had futures and they deserve to have a diploma presented to their parents,” Senior Class President, Allison Juarez told KYMA.

The students say this would help make sure their classmates are remembered.

Our newsroom reached out to the Broawley Union High School Board, but comment was not returned at the time of press.

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Local businesses, community leaders gather for ATHENA Awards

KYMA on April 18, 2026

Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Local businesses and community leaders gathered in Yuma Thursday for the ATHENA Awards. Five local women were nominated for this prestigious award.

Wendy Lobeck McKay was the recipient of the ATEHNA award. She shared how it feels to have won, “I am surprised. I am humble. I am grateful. I am in the company of some amazing women in this community and to be nominated let alone be named Athena 2025 I’m just speechless.”

The ATHENA Award celebrates outstanding leadership in the community. Being nominated for this prestigious award means a lot to those who were selected.

This year’s nominees were Nancy Turner Blitz, Emilia Cortez-Sharkey, Wendy Lobeck McKay, Dr. Danielle Muñoz, and Wendy Steward.

“It doesn’t feel real; I will tell you that right now it doesn’t feel real. It just feels like you’re doing the thing that you want to do and love to do, so to have people see that it means a lot,” said Wendy Steward, nominee and presenter.

The ATHENA Award is presented by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce to women who excel in business and helping the community.

The winner of the ATHENA Award serves on the board of directors at the Yuma Humane Society and has worked in the agriculture business for over 40 years. She shared how impactful it is to volunteer in the community.

“There are many opportunities for service organizations. There is something that speaks to your heart. For instance, I volunteer as a board member for Yuma Humane Society. If animals are your love, reach out to the Humane Society and find out how to volunteer. The food bank always has volunteer opportunities, and to see the impact on those who you help is just amazing,” McKay said.

All five ATHENA Award nominees are trailblazers in the community. It’s important to recognize the stellar leadership they exhibit.

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Local scam targeting Medicare recipients

KYMA on April 18, 2026

Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local scam is targeting Medicare recipients. The Yuma Police Department (YPD) partnered with Onvida Health to inform the community about what you need to look out for so you’re not the next victim.

“The fraud impacts the most vulnerable in our community which is the elderly community on Medicare,” said Jesse with Onvida Health.

YPD say if you receive a phone call from a scammer, never ever give them your personal information.

“If anything sounds fishy or doesn’t seem right, always call…hang up,” Sgt. Lori Franklin advised.

Scammers are placing calls that appear to come from an Onvida Health phone number.

During these calls, individuals falsely claim that a patient’s Medicare card has expired and request personal information to “verify” or “update” records.

YPD say this is what you need to do if you get one of these calls.

“Call Medicare. Hang up. Call Onvida. Hang up. And call us so we can look into it,” Sgt. Franklin said.

Medicare will never call to verify a card number over the phone, and Medicare cards do not expire.

Onvida Health is working with Yuma Police to make sure locals know about this scam.

“Always look into it, but again you can always call us. You can call the hospital. You can always call whatever company you think is trying to scam you and verify it through them,” Franklin said.

If you receive a phone call from a scammer, never ever give out your personal information.

“Just because caller ID says it’s somebody, you have to use your best judgment on that. With technology progressing, it’s easier to take advantage of people because people just have a trust for things they have in their life,” Jesse with Onvida Health warned.

Scam artists have the ability to create false caller IDs. It’s important to trust your gut if you feel like something’s fishy.

Remember: Medicare will never be the first to call you.

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Pandemic relief funds set to expire

KYMA on April 18, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA) – COVID-19 relief funding that helped support schools and community serviced in the Imperial Valley is starting to run out.

During the pandemic, federal relief funds helped pay for tutoring, mental health services, food programs, and other community support. Now that funding is coming to an end.

Local schools and government agencies must decide whether to cut programs or find other ways to pay for them.

Residents may start to see fewer services or tighter budgets in the next one to two years.

“Hopefully they continue offering it because it puts a lot of like less stress on families,” Grace Bernal told KYMA.

One Brawley resident we spoke to, Juliio Bracamonte, said most people haven’t even heard of the extra funding or that it is expiring.

“There is funding there that’s available, but I think that the majority of the people don’t, just don’t know about it,” Bracamonte said.

He said he would like communities like Brawley to use any extra funds to fix the streets.

“Roads. You know a lot of cities have beautiful roads and it’s a nice city. But when you let it go, you don’t maintain it, that’s what happens to all the lot of roads. In the Valley, it’s good for that,” he said.

Most remaining COVID-19 relief funds must be spent by the end of this year.

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Comité de Bienestar holds ribbon cutting ceremony and gives homes in San Luis, Arizona

KYMA on April 18, 2026

Abigahil Padilla

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m., Comité de Bienestar held a ribbon cutting ceremony and gave homes in San Luis, Arizona.

An emotional ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the official handover of eight homes belonging to Group 86 of the Self-Help program, sponsored by USDA Rural Development.

The event brought together beneficiary families, organization representatives, and community members, who gathered to commemorate this significant milestone that promotes access to housing.

During the ceremony, special emphasis was placed on the effort and commitment of the participating families, who actively contributed to the construction of their own homes as part of the self-help model.

The self-help program, backed by USDA Rural Development, aims to support low-income families in becoming homeowners through a framework of community collaboration and technical assistance.

Officials and organizers highlighted the importance of such initiatives, noting that they not only facilitate access to housing but also strengthen the social fabric and foster family stability.

With the handover of these eight homes, the Comité de Bienestar reaffirms its commitment to continue working for the benefit of the community, creating opportunities that enhance the quality of life for families in the region.

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NAU Yuma hosts Third Annual Student Research Symposium

KYMA on April 18, 2026

Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Students at Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Yuma campus recently had the chance to share not just their research, but their perspective.

The school hosted its Third Annual Student Research Symposium, where students from a range of programs presented their in-depth research.

The event opened with a keynote address from Yuma native Dr. Stephanie Parra, who encouraged students to see the value in their own experiences.

“The message that I want the students to take from today is that their perspectives matter and their lived experience will actually enrich our solutions going forward,” Dr. Parra said.

From psychology and social work to engineering, students explored topics that connect directly to the region like food insecurity in U.S.-Mexico border communities and youth homelessness.

Parra says those closest to these challenges are often the ones best positioned to help solve them.

“It’s important for leaders to step up, and I believe that young people, and the people closest to the problems we’re navigating…have solutions,” she said.

For some students, that message is already shaping how they approach their work.

“You can’t just let the opportunity come to you. You have to reach for it and actually seize it,” said student John Beler, whose group built their vehicular project from the ground up.

While presenting that work can be intimidating, many say it’s also rewarding., especially after weeks of effort.

“It feels really relieving to get this far because this was probably 40 hours of work just to put it all together,” Beler said.

For many of these students, what starts as a research project could become something more, a step toward future careers, and solutions that extend beyond the classroom.

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Yuma murder trial continues

KYMA on April 18, 2026

Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Day three of the trial of a Yuma man accused of murder focused on forensic evidence, including testimony from the medical examiner.

40-year-old Nicholas Harder faces one count of first-degree murder in the death of 57-year-old Anthony Jordinelli in May 2023.

In court, Deputy County Attorney Rachel Allocca Guerrero walked the jury through 41 injuries found on Jordinelli.

The medical examiner testified that more than 15 of those injuries were blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

The toxicology report also showed the presence of marijuana, Xanax within a therapeutic range, and methamphetamine.

The medical examiner explained that acute methamphetamine intoxication means a person is under the influence of the drug, affecting them physically, emotionally, or psychologically.

Prosecutors also asked what those levels of methamphetamine could indicate, with testimony suggesting the levels could be consistent with a regular user.

The medical examiner also discussed the victim’s medical history, including a prior brain tumor and surgery.

Prosecutors asked whether that could make someone more vulnerable to injury, and the medical examiner said it could in some cases.

Another key detail shared in court was that the victim was likely still alive when he was placed in the shower where he was later found.

The trial is set to continue Friday.

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Burglars steal life savings from beloved Monrovia restaurant owners

CNN Newsource on April 18, 2026

By Nicole Comstock

Click here for updates on this story

    MONROVIA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The owners of a beloved Monrovia burger joint are asking for help after thieves broke into their home and stole their entire life savings of $140,000.

“We don’t have much time left already,” owner Pan Pimoslavakun said. “We’re not young anymore.

Pan and her husband, Vorawat, have owned Burger Basket in Monrovia since 1963 and were hoping to retire in five to seven years with the $140,000 they kept in a lockbox at their home.

They had to close their mom-and-pop burger joint for a couple of weeks after Vorawat was hospitalized because of the stress from the burglary.

“Those monies is actually for my retirement,” Pan said. “I’ve been working for 30 years.”

Security cameras captured the burglars rifling through the elderly couple’s belongings on March 26. One guy knocked on the door first. Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash.

The couple immigrated from Thailand long ago and worked hard to save that money over three decades. Their son, Jesse Narkmanee, said he had warned his parents not to keep it in cash.

“Old-school Asian community. They like to put their life savings in cash cause that’s what they trust,” Narkmanee said.

Their son put together an online fundraiser to help them recover, and community support started pouring in.

“My parents were open for a little bit after the robbery, and so many people came to support them, to buy more burgers,” Narkmanee said. “I’m just so thankful. It made my dad cry a lot. I’ve never seen my dad cry before. He cried tears of joy.

They are also asking for help finding the suspects. The family said the burglars got away in a gray Nissan Rogue, but it had stolen plates.

“We don’t want this to happen to anyone,” Pan said. “This hurt.”

The Monrovia Police Department said it is actively investigating the case and encouraged anyone with info to call detectives.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Sacramento woman wins $300K after being overserved alcohol on cruise before fall. A legal expert weighs in.

CNN Newsource on April 18, 2026

By Ashley Sharp

Click here for updates on this story

    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — From overserved to served with a lawsuit, Carnival Cruise Line has been ordered by a Florida jury to pay $300,000 to a Sacramento woman who, according to a federal lawsuit, crewmembers served 14 tequila shots before she fell down a stairwell and was injured.

Diana Sanders, a nurse at a Vacaville hospital, filed the lawsuit after the January 2024 incident aboard the Carnival Radiance.

She told CBS News Sacramento that there is so much more to this story than her just being overserved alcohol. She said it’s about systemic safety failures. She was not yet ready to share her experience in an on-camera interview.

According to the lawsuit, “Carnival crewmembers served [Sanders] approximately fourteen alcoholic beverages within a span of approximately eight hours… due to her inebriated state that was caused by this over-service of alcohol… [she] suffered a severe fall.”

“When you do take these people on your cruise ship, you are responsible for their well-being,” Sacramento defense attorney Mark Reichel, unrelated to this case, told CBS News Sacramento. “You can’t over serve someone, and if something happens to them, the bar is, in fact, liable.”

As for the fact that this presumably took place in international waters, Reichel says those laws would still apply.

“Where do they do business out of? And it is international waters, but where did they leave from?” Reichel explained.

The Florida jury found Carnival to be 60% liable for the incident, for failing to exercise reasonable care. Sanders was found to be 40% negligent for her own consumption.

Sanders claims she was visibly intoxicated, blacked out and woke up at the bottom of a crew-only stairwell, where she suffered a head injury and was covered in bruises she could not explain on her inner thighs and arms.

“They gave me conflicting information. They treated me like a criminal. I was very concerned they would not tell me exactly what happened to me,” Sanders said in a social media video posted by her attorney, Spencer Aronfeld.

Sanders says she filed the lawsuit because the cruise line would provide no video showing what unfolded.

“Come to find out they had all the tapes right before but nothing afterwards, and they will not show us what happened that day,” Sanders said.

According to the lawsuit, her injuries were severe. It reads, “As a result of these crewmembers’ misrepresentations, [Sanders] has suffered severe bodily injuries resulting in pain and suffering, disability, scarring, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of independence, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, expense of hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment.”

Aronfeld says while passengers do have the responsibility to drink responsibly, cruise lines must also serve responsibly.

“When you serve somebody who is visibly intoxicated repeatedly drink after drink after drink, it can lead to disastrous consequences,” said Aronfeld.

Aronfeld points out in the lawsuit, “To maximize revenue, Carnival deliberately designs its vessels to ensure there are alcohol serving stations in every nook and cranny of the ship.”

Considering that Sanders had purchased a drink package on the cruise, Aronfeld says this case highlights the dangers of overconsumption and popular all-inclusive drink packages.

“Do you think that makes a cruise line rethink a service like that? Because that is the culture, right? To keep drinking to get your money’s worth?” I asked Reichel.

“You couldn’t be more right that the expectation of what they’re purchasing is the experience that she had… you know, I think it’s within limitations, and the alcohol is the limitation,” Reichel said.

Carnival representatives told CBS News they disagree with the verdict and plan to pursue an appeal and a new trial.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.