Fresno-area mom accused of using case settlement money to buy guns for gang enters plea
A 42-year-old Madera woman, who police have accused of buying guns for members of a Fresno gang, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges on Tuesday.
Christina Pauline Lopez was arraigned in Fresno County Superior Court by Judge Michael Idiart. She is charged with 22 felonies, including conspiracy to sell or transfer firearms without a license, conspiracy to sell or transfer firearms to a person under 21 and carrying a loaded firearm in public.
Lopez’s attorney Michael Aed, who was standing in for attorney Ralph Torres, requested that her bail be reduced from $1.6 million to something more reasonable like $250,000. Idiart would only agree to lower her bail to $750,000.
Lopez was arrested Thursday as part of a three-month-long investigation into gun and gang crimes that netted 14 arrests of Calwa gang members including accused killer 18-year-old Richard Aguilar, who is charged with the July shooting death of Javier Fernandez, 52, of Malaga.
Law enforcement officials have accused Lopez of buying firearms with the money she received in a settlement from the city of Fresno after her son Isiah Murrietta-Golding, 16, was killed as he fled from police on April 16, 2017.
The city agreed to pay $4.9 million to her in the case. A video of the shooting, released in October 2019, shows Sgt. Ray Villalvazo firing a single round that struck the back of the head of the fleeing Murrietta-Golding.
District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp accused Lopez of using proceeds from her settlement with the city to supply guns to the Calwa gang members, including her 14-year-old.
Police said Investigators said Lopez, 47-year-old Jesse Aguilar and 40-year-old Juan Venegas conspired to have teenagers commit crimes on behalf of the Calwa gang.
Aguilar was participating from Salinas Valley State Prison, where he’s serving a life sentence for the 2014 gang-related killing of Fernando Zapata in Fresno.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 2:02 PM.
