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  • DA Stephan Releases ‘2024 Annual Report’ Highlighting Public Safety Achievements

  • Meet the DA’s Lifer Hearing Unit

    The DA's Lifer Hearing Unit
  • Man Sentenced to Prison for Killing Wife, and Throwing Her Severed Legs in Dumpster

    Laurie Diane Potter
  • DA Stephan Denounces Dismantling of Human Trafficking Bill AB 379 by Assembly Public Safety Committee

  • One Safe Place North Celebrates ‘Leap to Confidence’ Graduation

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Latest News

News Conference DA Works With Banks, Credit Unions to Remind Employees to Report Financial Elder Abuse

DA Works With Banks, Credit Unions to Remind Employees to Report Financial Elder Abuse

June 18, 2019

When Marlene Ruiz, a bank employee for over 30 years, noticed that her elderly and wheelchair-bound client was falling victim to an obvious scam, she intervened and was able to prevent the victim from having thousands of dollars stolen from his bank account. Marlene’s story is just one example of financial elder abuse and exploitation […]

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Gavel. Medical Office Manager in Massive Insurance Fraud Sentenced

Medical Office Manager in Massive Insurance Fraud Sentenced

June 17, 2019

The San Diego County District Attorney’s prosecution of Operation Backlash, a large scale, undercover, joint federal and state investigation into multi-million dollar fraud and illegal kickbacks in the California workers compensation has moved forward as another defendant in the state’s case was sentenced.  Operation Backlash is the largest healthcare insurance fraud scheme in the history […]

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https://danewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/images/800px-3D_Judges_Gavel_edited-1.jpg 320 480 danewscenter /wp-content/uploads/2021/04/danews_logo-1.png danewscenter2019-06-17 00:00:002021-06-25 16:20:25Medical Office Manager in Massive Insurance Fraud Sentenced
Photo of dentist chair and tools. Story: Dentist Charged for Fraudulently Billing Insurance Companies

Dentist Charged for Fraudulently Billing Insurance Companies

June 11, 2019

A Mira Mesa dentist, April Rose Ambrosio, 58, fraudulently billed multiple insurance companies $592,550 claiming she performed 623 root canals on 75 patients. Ambrosio, who was arraigned in San Diego Superior Court today on 75 counts of insurance fraud, billed eight insurance companies for nearly $600,000 and ultimately received more than $200,000. Ambrosio’s deception involved […]

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https://danewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/images/dentist-chair.jpg 320 480 danewscenter /wp-content/uploads/2021/04/danews_logo-1.png danewscenter2019-06-11 00:00:002021-06-25 16:20:24Dentist Charged for Fraudulently Billing Insurance Companies
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Video

The DA's Lifer Hearing Unit

The DA’s Lifer Hearing Unit

https://danewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lifer-Hearing-Unit-2025-1.jpg 720 1280 Barbara Medina /wp-content/uploads/2021/04/danews_logo-1.png Barbara Medina2025-05-05 14:19:542025-05-06 13:09:42The DA’s Lifer Hearing Unit

DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 05-01-25

https://danewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DA-News-for-YouTube-05-01-25.jpg 720 1280 Barbara Medina /wp-content/uploads/2021/04/danews_logo-1.png Barbara Medina2025-05-01 15:39:352025-05-06 15:41:37DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 05-01-25

DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 04-24-25

https://danewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DA-Weekly-News-Video-Update-THUMBNAIL-04-24-25.jpg 714 1288 Barbara Medina /wp-content/uploads/2021/04/danews_logo-1.png Barbara Medina2025-04-24 15:33:482025-05-06 15:37:47DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 04-24-25

DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 04-17-25

https://danewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DA-Weekly-News-Video-Update-THUMBNAIL-04-17-25.jpg 707 1293 Barbara Medina /wp-content/uploads/2021/04/danews_logo-1.png Barbara Medina2025-04-17 15:26:022025-05-06 15:38:14DA Weekly News Update with DA Summer Stephan 04-17-25

Citizens of Courage 2025: Group of Good Samaritans

https://danewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Good-Samaritans-CHP.jpg 720 1280 Barbara Medina /wp-content/uploads/2021/04/danews_logo-1.png Barbara Medina2025-04-07 18:11:152025-04-07 18:11:15Citizens of Courage 2025: Group of Good Samaritans

Citizens of Courage 2025: Robert Moore

https://danewscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Robert-Moore.jpg 720 1280 Barbara Medina /wp-content/uploads/2021/04/danews_logo-1.png Barbara Medina2025-04-07 18:08:572025-04-07 18:08:57Citizens of Courage 2025: Robert Moore

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San Diego County District Attorney

Fri May 9th

San Diego County District Attorney
The former San Diego County Teacher of the Year, 36-year-old Jacqueline Ma, who taught at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City, has been sentenced to 30 years-to-life in prison for sexually abusing two students.Ma pleaded guilty on February 5 to two counts of forcible lewd act on a child, one count of lewd act on a child, and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material including allegations substantial sexual conduct and having multiple victims. She had been scheduled to stand trial in April.“This defendant violated the trust she had with her students in the most extreme and traumatic way possible and her actions are despicable,” District Attorney DA Summer Stephan said. “Her victims will have to deal with a lifetime of negative effects and her 30-year sentence is appropriate. No child deserves what this defendant did and I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims, their families and the community that was left reeling from this defendant’s crimes.”In March 2023, the mother of one of the victims found inappropriate messages on a family tablet between the student and teacher. Ma had groomed the minor for over a year before performing sexual acts on the him when he was 12. The parents did not allow the boy to have social media or his own electronics, but Ma was able to get access to him by setting up an unsanctioned after school program and directing him to communicate with her through a school chat application.The sex acts perpetrated by Ma occurred in her classroom while the parents believed their son was participating in an afterschool basketball program, and the abuse continued for a period of three months. Further investigation found that Ma had targeted and sexually assaulted another student in 2020. That boy was 11at the time. Ma had been grooming young boys with gifts, food and special attention and even completed their homework for them. She also gained the trust of the parents with her reputation and personal investment in their academic development.Every student in San Diego County deserves to have a safe and nurturing educational environment, free of sexual and physical abuse. But if that kind of abuse does happen, students, parents and teachers can report it directly to the District Attorney’s Office at https://www.sdcda.org/helping/studentsafety/.Once suspected abuse is reported, the task force members will evaluate and investigate the claim, law enforcement will be notified to investigate allegations when appropriate, and families will be connected with trauma-informed resources and support.Deputy District Attorney Andrew Hart prosecuted this case.EN ESPAÑOL: Ex Maestra del Año Condenada a Prisión por Abusar Sexualmente de Estudiantes: https://danewscenter.com/?p=858 ... See MoreSee Less

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The former San Diego County Teacher of the Year, 3 The former San Diego County Teacher of the Year, 36-year-old Jacqueline Ma, who taught at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City, has been sentenced to 30 years-to-life in prison for sexually abusing two students.

Ma pleaded guilty on February 5 to two counts of forcible lewd act on a child, one count of lewd act on a child, and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material including allegations substantial sexual conduct and having multiple victims. She had been scheduled to stand trial in April.

“This defendant violated the trust she had with her students in the most extreme and traumatic way possible and her actions are despicable,” District Attorney @summerstephan said. “Her victims will have to deal with a lifetime of negative effects and her 30-year sentence is appropriate. No child deserves what this defendant did and I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims, their families and the community that was left reeling from this defendant’s crimes.”

In March 2023, the mother of one of the victims found inappropriate messages on a family tablet between the student and teacher. Ma had groomed the minor for over a year before performing sexual acts on the him when he was 12. The parents did not allow the boy to have social media or his own electronics, but Ma was able to get access to him by setting up an unsanctioned after school program and directing him to communicate with her through a school chat application.

The sex acts perpetrated by Ma occurred in her classroom while the parents believed their son was participating in an afterschool basketball program, and the abuse continued for a period of three months. Further investigation found that Ma had targeted and sexually assaulted another student in 2020. That boy was 11at the time. Ma had been grooming young boys with gifts, food and special attention and even completed their homework for them. She also gained the trust of the parents with her reputation and personal investment in their academic development.

(CONTINUED IN COMMENTS)
This morning, District Attorney @SummerStephan joi This morning, District Attorney @SummerStephan joined @asmlauriedavies at a North County Senior Scam Stopper Summit to speak with more than 200 seniors about the most common scams targeting seniors and how to avoid them. 
You can learn more about how to protect yourself and your loved ones from scams by visiting our website SanDiegoDA.com and search “Senior Scams.”
In this week's DA News Update, District Attorney @ In this week's DA News Update, District Attorney @SummerStephan was at the 39th Annual Law Enforcement Memorial and talks about the importance of the work our partner agencies do for our communities.
Today, District Attorney @summerstephan and the DA Today, District Attorney @summerstephan and the DA’s Chief Investigator Jorge Duran joined all the  San Diego County law enforcement agencies at the 39th Annual Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. This year three names were added to the law enforcement memorial wall outside the @countyofsandiego office: Sheriff’s Deputy Herbert Sibert, SDPD Officer Austin Machitar, US Customs and Border Protection Air Interdiction Agent Jeffrey Kanas.
We will never forget their sacrifice.
At the end of the ceremony, all the local law enforcement chiefs took a group photo, as is customary every year.
The Lifer Hearing Unit at the District Attorney’ The Lifer Hearing Unit at the District Attorney’s Office handles parole hearings for some of the most dangerous criminals in the state by making sure they are not carelessly released from prison. Due to changes in the law, many of these inmates are up for parole sooner than expected, and the unit’s case load is increasing.

#VictimVoices #ParoleHearing #LiferHearingUnit #SanDiegoDA #DistrictAttorney
A 72-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for A 72-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for the gruesome murder and dismemberment of his wife in 2003, a case that remained unsolved for nearly two decades before it was cracked using Investigative Genetic Genealogy.

Jack Potter was sentenced today to 15 years-to-life in state prison for the 2003 murder of his wife, Laurie Diane Potter, whose legs were found discarded in a Rancho San Diego apartment complex dumpster over two decades ago. Thanks to the relentless efforts of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, the case was solved in 2021.

“This was a brutal, calculated murder that shattered the lives of Laurie’s loved ones, who then had to endure nearly 20 years of unanswered questions and unimaginable grief,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said. “Thanks to the extraordinary work of law enforcement, our Cold Case Homicide Unit, and Deputy District Attorneys Julie Lynn and Mark Amador, justice has finally been served. Their dedication and refusal to give up on this case, no matter how much time passed, led to this long-overdue resolution.”

The homicide investigation began in October 2003, when a maintenance worker at the Country Hills Apartment complex in Rancho San Diego discovered a pair of severed human legs in a dumpster. Despite exhaustive efforts by law enforcement, the victim remained unidentified, and the case went cold. In 2020, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Homicide Cold Case Team used Investigative Genetic Genealogy based on DNA from the legs to possibly identify the victim.

This was the first time that investigators had used the new investigative technique to identify a previously unknown homicide victim. After further investigation, the woman was confirmed to be Laurie Diane Potter, 54, who had been living in Temecula in 2003 but had previously lived in the Rancho San Diego apartment complex.

(CONTINUED IN COMMENTS)

EN ESPAÑOL: https://danewscenter.com/?p=8496 

#ColdCase #Homicide #SanDiegoDA
💬 "The people spoke and now government must act 💬 "The people spoke and now government must act." 
— DA Summer Stephan

In a powerful opinion piece, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan highlights the critical progress made since the passage of Proposition 36, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act. Passed by 68% of voters statewide, this law is already making a difference — bringing accountability to repeat retail theft, holding drug dealers responsible, and, most importantly, offering real pathways to recovery through incentivized treatment.

Since December, the San Diego County DA's Office has filed nearly 900 cases under Prop 36. Repeat offenders who once faced no real consequences are now being held accountable. But beyond enforcement, the county is leading the way in implementing a countywide treatment system, showing what it means to turn public will into real change.

San Diego is doing its part — now it's time for the state to step up and ensure this foundation is built to last.

📢 Read her full op-ed and join the conversation about smart, compassionate justice: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/01/opinion-prop-36-off-to-strong-start-locally-but-government-must-do-more/

#Prop36 #PublicSafety #AddictionRecovery #SanDiegoDA #CaliforniaJustice #SummerStephan #SanDiego
In this week's DA News Update, District Attorney @ In this week's DA News Update, District Attorney @SummerStephan denounces the dismantling of an important Assembly Bill that aimed to protect children from human trafficking. #AB379
San Diego County District Attorney @SummerStephan San Diego County District Attorney @SummerStephan today strongly denounced the gutting of her sponsored human trafficking bill, #AB379, during a hearing of the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday. The bill, which aimed to make the buying a 16 or 17-year-old child for sex a felony offense in California, was stripped of that critical provision in committee, despite overwhelming public support and increasing bipartisan concern over the exploitation of minors.

“This is a betrayal of the most vulnerable children in our state,” DA Stephan said “For over a decade, I have fought to make sure that those who buy children for sex are held fully accountable under the law. Buying children who under the law cannot consent to sex, can only be described as slavery. By gutting AB 379, the Assembly Public Safety Committee has sent a chilling message that the exploitation of children does not merit a serious penalty. Buying a 16-year-old for sex causes years of pain, disease and trauma, yet gets the same or less of a punishment in California than spray painting wall. This is not just a policy disagreement—it is an inhumane failure.”

The bill had garnered broad support from victim advocates, law enforcement, and community organizations, and was considered a key step forward in California’s ongoing fight against human trafficking. The bill’s author, Assemblymember Maggie Krell, has decades of experience fighting human trafficking and the bill relies on solid research that demonstrates that age 16 is the average age of recruitment of human trafficking victims in San Diego.

DA Stephan has been a leading voice in the fight against human trafficking in California and across the nation. She pioneered the first human trafficking Special Victims Unit in San Diego County. Her office has prosecuted numerous high-profile trafficking cases and has worked with survivors to advocate for stronger laws that recognize the true harm caused by those who fuel the demand for the exploitation of children. #EndHumanTrafficking 

(CONTINUED IN COMMENTS)

EN ESPAÑOL: https://danewscenter.com/?p=8478
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