The former general manager of a Central Valley water district has been charged with stealing more than $25 million worth of water over the course of 23 years. Dennis Falaschi was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of California. He is accused of conspiracy, theft of government property, and filing false tax returns. Falaschi was the general manager of the Panoche Water District, which serves parts of Frenso and Merced counties. The water district is not named in the indictment. The arrest and filing of felony charges against five individuals for misuse of public funds is the result of widespread corruption at the district. Falaschi is one of the defendants. According to the federal indictment, the water theft scheme began in 1992. Falaschi was told that an old drain turnout on the Delta-Mendota Canal was leaking water into a parallel canal that the water district controlled. When the drain was abandoned, a gate inside the pipe that connected the canals had been sealed shut, but the cement had cracked, according to the indictment. Falaschi told the water district employee to install a new gate inside the standpipe, which could be opened and closed on demand, according to the document. He told the employee to put in a lid with a lock on top of the standpipe and a two-foot elbow pipe. The gate inside the standpipe was functional, but people couldn't see it because of the lid. Falaschi told employees to steal federal water from the canal on multiple occasions. He used the proceeds of the theft to pay himself and others excessive salaries, fringe benefits, and personal expense reimbursements. The diverted water traveled to a water district pump station, where it was lifted into the canal system, according to the indictment. It was combined with other water sources and sold to customers or pumped back into the federal canal so the district could collect water credits. Falaschi told water district employees to misclassify the stolen water as reclaimed water from farms in reports to the board of directors, according to court documents. According to the indictment, more than 130,000 acre-feet of water was stolen. The standard unit of measurement in the water industry is an acre-foot. The water level in the canals was lowered in April of 2015 due to the weather. Falaschi failed to report over $900,000 in income he received from private water sales to the IRS, according to court documents. Falaschi and four other defendants are facing a criminal case in the state. According to the state case, investigators discovered 86 drums of hazardous waste in a Panoche Water District yard. The state's case was expanded to include allegations that were revealed by an audit. Falaschi will plead not guilty to the federal charges, according to his attorney. The indictment appears to be based on lies and misstatements, according to Days. The attorney plans to make further comments in the near future. Falaschi could face a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison and up to $750,000 in fines if he is convicted on all federal charges. The story was originally published in the Los Angeles Times. A Buddhist monk in Thailand was criticized after local villagers found him passed out and naked in a temple. A monk, a former policeman, was found lying on the balcony of a Buddhist temple in the Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The monk's room was full of energy drinks and a bottle of Thai rice whisky with 40% alcohol content. Police have released a video that appears to show Joseph in a group of people who fought with Ray and his friends. A man builds a trap to catch a thief. The company's performance under new CEO Barry McCarthy was decried by Blackwells Capital. 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