A former Delano man was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in federal prison for his role in a $10 million real estate fraud scheme involving fake identities, shell companies and fabricated property documents.
Gilberto Barron, 26, formerly of Delano and Las Vegas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston last week after pleading guilty June 29 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
According to court records, Barron and others worked with federal inmate Seth Depiano, 45, formerly of Clovis, in 2021 and 2022 to defraud prospective real estate buyers in California’s Central Valley and elsewhere.
Depiano was serving a 12-year sentence for a previous multimillion-dollar fraud conviction when he and others created fake identities for supposed real estate agents and shell companies that mirrored legitimate real estate companies.
The group marketed properties online that were not actually for sale, including properties whose owners had died. They met with prospective buyers using the false identities and presented fabricated deeds, title reports and other documents to make the transactions appear legitimate.
After receiving buyers’ money, the group laundered funds primarily through Las Vegas casinos. Members would deposit large amounts into gaming machines and quickly cash out with little or no gambling activity, according to prosecutors.
The group then used some of the proceeds to purchase properties for themselves.
Zahria Barber, 29, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty and was sentenced June 29 to one year in prison for helping launder money through casinos. Depiano pleaded guilty and was sentenced in January to nine additional years in prison, bringing his total federal sentence to 21 years.
The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Bakersfield Police Department, with assistance from the FBI and Nevada Attorney General’s Office.
