Esparto fireworks blast indictment alleges a decade-long conspiracy in Yolo County

The Abridged version:

• The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office announced grand jury indictments against eight individuals in connection to the deadly Esparto fireworks facility explosion last summer that killed seven people.
• Officials detailed an alleged decade-long conspiracy to create what they called a “Northern California hub” based in Yolo County for an illegal enterprise, storing and selling explosives to consumers.
• Five people, including a former sheriff’s lieutenant, face murder charges. Other allegations include conspiracy, fraud, child endangerment and animal cruelty.

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The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is alleging a decade-long conspiracy to establish the “Northern California hub for an illegal enterprise” that sold explosives and endangered lives at and near an Esparto fireworks facility that exploded last summer. The blast killed seven people.

Criminal charges, including murder, conspiracy, fraud, child endangerment and animal cruelty, have been filed in connection with the deadly explosion.

“(The investigation) has taken us across California, it has taken us across the nation,” Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said at a news conference Friday morning announcing the indictments. He noted that, at times, it went across borders and is the biggest investigation he has taken part in as district attorney.

Five of the eight people indicted are accused of murder: Kenneth Chee, Jack Lee, Gary Chan, Douglas Tollefsen and Samuel Machado. When asked by reporters why murder charges were filed instead of negligence, the district attorney said, “You had citizens of Yolo County (a grand jury) who heard the evidence and decided it was appropriate.”

The indictment also alleges that the enterprise used Machado’s position as a Yolo County sheriff’s lieutenant to shield the illegal business from scrutiny.

In an interview aired by KCRA, Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez said the findings were “shocking” and that he had no knowledge of the alleged illegal operation.

“It’s not anything that I would expect one of my employees to be involved in,” he said.

Child endangerment and animal cruelty charges are being pursued due to the explosion’s proximity to a residential property, said Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity.

Arrests were made throughout the day on Thursday, with alleged offenders being picked up in places as far reaching as Florida.

Court records and the indictment detail the charges. They include:

• Samuel Machado, 45, a former Yolo County sheriff’s lieutenant who owned the property where the fireworks factory was located. He was transferred to the Sutter County detention facility and faces charges including murder, conspiracy and possession of explosives illegally.
• Tammy Machado, 46, wife of Samuel and former employee of the Yolo County sheriff’s department. She also owned the property where the facility was located and has been released on bail. Charges against her, laid out in a separate indictment, include mortgage fraud.
• Kenneth Chee, 48, owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, the fireworks company in operation at the time of the explosion, was arrested in Orange County, Florida. His charges include murder, conspiracy and illegal possession and transportation of explosives.
• Craig Cutright, 61, producer of shows for Devastating Pyrotechnics, owner of BlackStar Fireworks and former Esparto volunteer firefighter and resident at the property where the disaster occurred, was also arrested. Cutright was arrested in Yolo County and faces charges including conspiracy to commit a crime and illegal possession and transportation of explosives.
• Jack Lee, 65, was booked in Yolo County and faces charges of murder, conspiracy and illegal possession and transportation of explosives.
• Gary Chan, 43, was arrested in Santa Clara County. He faces charges of murder, conspiracy and illegal possession and transportation of explosives.
• Ronald Botelho III, 30, was arrested in Del Norte County in December and had charges of possession of explosives, conspiracy and transportation of explosives added on Thursday.
• Douglas Tollefsen, 55, was charged with murder, possession of explosives, conspiracy and transportation of explosives.

A watchdog report from the Yolo County Grand Jury last month blamed shortfalls in multiple county departments that created conditions leading to the deadly blast, which killed seven people. The grand jury’s recommendations include the creation of new countywide positions as well as better training and monitoring for code and law enforcement.

On Friday, the district attorney’s office thanked CalFire and “dozens, if not hundreds” of law enforcement agencies across the country for aiding in the ongoing investigation.

In a statement, Yolo County supervisor Lucas Frerichs said he is “deeply saddened by the loss of life and for the families who are left to make sense of their lost loved ones and this entire situation.”

“I continue to believe that this whole situation, especially with the seven deaths that occurred, is both a devastating and preventable tragedy,” he said.

Responding to the civil grand jury report that came out a couple of weeks ago, he said the findings provided a “decent overview of a variety of aspects of the situation,” but that “many outstanding questions remain.”

Antonio De Loera, a labor and immigration activist and candidate for supervisor in 2024, said that the Esparto disaster highlights workplace safety issues in Yolo County.

“Of course, these bosses and business owners deserve to have the book thrown at them. But we also need to have a real reckoning with our code enforcement and workplace safety practices across local government here,” he said. “I have to imagine another firework explosion of this magnitude is unlikely — but that doesn’t mean workers aren’t in danger every day across Yolo.”

Arraignments for the indicted individuals will happen on Monday, April 13.

Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.