IRS guards couldn’t shoot straight, so a Kingsburg man faces prison

A Kingsburg man faces a maximum 10-year prison term after he pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he conspired to falsify firearms shooting scores of guards who protect the IRS center in Fresno.

He was identified as Robert J. Bejarano, 49, of E&A Protective Services. The business had a contract to protect the southeast Fresno center on Butler Avenue near Willow Avenue with 24-hour guards, according to U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott. When it became apparent that many of the guards could not achieve the shooting scores required under the contract, Bejarano and others falsified the scores. That allowed E&A to be paid more than $2 million over three years.

Co-defendant Matthew Cocola, 37, who was a certified firearms instructor doing business as Security Solutions of California, pleaded guilty on Aug. 8 to using a false statement in connection with the case. Charges are pending against Scott Carlton, 49, of Visalia, who faces a jury trial on Nov. 6.

This story was originally published September 17, 2018 at 2:26 PM.