Former California Water Official Pleads Guilty to Stealing Water From Irrigation Canal

Dennis Falaschi was originally accused of swiping $25 million in water, but court documents put the amount at $3.5 million.

The Delta-Mendota Canal in Merced County, Calif., in February 2024. Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

FRESNO, Calif.  — A former California water official has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal water in a deal with federal prosecutors in the state’s crop-rich Central Valley.

The Los Angeles Times reported May 28 that 78-year-old Dennis Falaschi, who used to head the Panoche Water District, entered the plea in federal court in Fresno. He also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.