Morning Report: Petco Charity Scammers Plead Guilty

The Petco Park charity scammers have pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy. 

In August 2023 our Will Huntsberry exposed a fake softball charity raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars at Petco Park. 

It turns out the full sum was even greater. The two ringleaders pleaded guilty to netting roughly $3.5 million from Petco Park between 2016 and 2023 — as well as another $260,000 from Snapdragon Stadium between 2022 and 2023. 

Here’s how it worked: Many concession stands at stadiums across the region are run by volunteer groups, which then get a cut from the stands they operate. The money is supposed to go towards the charity’s mission. 

Martin Rebollo and Noly Ilarde, the ringleaders, started a fake charity called Chula Vista Fast Pitch. They paid people, who they claimed were volunteers, roughly $50 per game under the table. They split the rest of the profits between themselves. 

A federal prosecutor confirmed that Voice’s initial reporting led to a criminal investigation, which confirmed many of the details and resulted in the guilty pleas. 

The maximum sentence for wire fraud conspiracy is 20 years. 

Read the full story here.

North County Report: Election Musical Chairs

Prop. 50, California’s recently-adopted redistricting measure, is shaking up North County politics. Last week, local politicians engaged in a dizzying round of pre-election musical chairs in response to newly redrawn congressional district boundaries.

The gist: Longtime congressional Republican Darrell Issa is out. County Supervisor Jim Desmond is switching races to take Issa’s place. And Armen Kurdian, a Republican previously running in Issa’s race, is now taking Desmond’s place in his previous race.

Confused? Don’t worry. Our North County reporter, Tigist Layne, breaks it all down in her latest North County Report.

Also in the Report: The latest in the ongoing tug-of-war over Seaside Ridge, a controversial affordable housing development in Del Mar.

Read the North County Report here.

Don’t miss this event!

Join us at Women Leading the Conversation on March 26 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Illumina Theater to hear from an incredible panel of women who are “Building the Finest City.”  

Get your tickets today – last year sold out!

In Other News 

• The federal government recently warned California law enforcement agencies the war in Iran could result in a surprise drone attack in California – but sources also questioned the intelligence underlying the warning. (Los Angeles Times)

• A record-breaking heat wave is bearing down on San Diego and officials urged residents in fire-prone areas to clear fuel around their homes. (10News)

• A new report on the Tijuana River sewage crisis urges officials on both sides of the border to spend more on wastewater treatment and pursue wastewater reuse projects to clean up the river. The official formerly in charge of cross-border wastewater treatment authored the Regional Chamber of Commerce report. (CalMatters)

• In other fallout from the war in Iran, gas prices in San Diego climbed 55 cents over the past week, reaching $5.36 per gallon Wednesday. (NBC San Diego)

• Ridership is reaching record highs on a pair of controversial bike lanes along 30th Street in the San Diego neighborhood of North Park. But local merchants say the five-year-old lanes continue to hurt local businesses by reducing parking and foot traffic. (Times of San Diego)

The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry and Jim Hinch. It was edited by Will Huntsberry. 

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