2 weeks ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The FBI and California Department of Justice arrested a erstwhile detective for the Fresno Police Department.
According to the DOJ, 37-year-old Rey Medeles was arrested connected 2 counts of expansive theft and 2 counts of preparing mendacious documentary evidence. The probe that led to this apprehension began much than a twelvemonth ago. Due to the severity of the alleged crimes, Fresno PD didn’t hesitate to get national agents involved.
"We internally discovered that $60,000 had been taken from our grounds country by a detective, erstwhile detective was astatine the clip Detective Rey Medeles,” Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto said.
Fresno Police, on with the FBI and DOJ, sniffed retired a suspected thief. Medeles was arrested for stealing $60,000 successful full from the department's grounds room.
"He was hired backmost successful 2015. So helium is somewhat of a veteran, and helium was moving retired successful our narcotics portion erstwhile the theft occurred,” Chief Casto said.
But however did helium bash it? According to the DOJ, $30,000 was seized during 2 hunt warrants successful 2023 and 2024. The wealth was booked into evidence, and some times, nary charges were filed. But, connected some occasions, Medeles reportedly signed the currency retired of the evidence, past held onto it aft falsifying records and keeping the money.
"The administrative investigation, which was completed successful June of 2025 and resulted successful Detective Medeles' termination. The year-long probe did not bespeak that determination was grounds of immoderate different much wide theft oregon that immoderate different section members had been involved,” Chief Casto said.
"No one's supra the law, and slightest of each 1 of our officers. We person implicit 1,300 section members present moving each time to support this assemblage safe. And they don't privation idiosyncratic wearing the aforesaid badge and the aforesaid spot that's committing these kinds of crimes,” Chief Casto said.
Medeles was besides named arsenic portion of a radical of Fresno Police officers being sued by 3 section concern owners for alleged improprieties betwixt 2021 and 2023.
