Fernando Jauregui Ochoa, 30, of Ceres, has been convicted of defrauding a number of people by taking their money intended to deliver food trucks and spending it on himself.
Jauregui Ochoa was arrested in 2024 and recently found guilty of 18 counts of obtaining over $500,000 fraudulently, one count of witness intimidation, and an aggravating factor that Ochoa specifically targeted vulnerable victims based on their immigration status.
Jauregui Ochoa will be ordered to pay restitution and is scheduled to receive a 20-year prison sentence on Oct. 30.
The investigation into Ochoa’s activities began after the District Attorney’s Office received multiple consumer fraud complaints involving Ochoa’s food truck business, which took thousands of dollars from victims for custom food trucks that were never built. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation (BI) with the assistance of the Ceres Police Department launched a comprehensive criminal investigation that identified more than 40 victims defrauded out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Investigators say that Jauregui Ochoa used the funds for drugs, vacations, and other personal luxuries rather than delivering the food trucks. According to the DA’s office, many victims had entrusted Jauregui Ochoa with their entire life savings in hopes of starting new businesses. At the conclusion of the investigation, BI investigators arrested Jauregui Ochoa, who has since been held on $1 million bail.
“This case demonstrates the devastating impact fraud can have on unsuspecting victims,” said District Attorney Jeff Laugero. “These individuals trusted Jauregui Ochoa with their life savings. Instead, he exploited their trust and vulnerabilities and stole from them.”
“I am extremely proud of the work of our Bureau of Investigation in uncovering the full scope of this fraud and identifying dozens of victims who might otherwise never have received justice. The 20-year prison sentence in this case sends a clear message that those who deliberately target victims for financial gain will be held accountable.”
Known as the “taco truck guy” in the Central Valley, Jauregui Ochoa operated the 8A Food Truck, Inc. in a Ceres industrial park at 2216 Cedarville Drive. He allegedly signed agreements with approximately 40 people in the Valley to build vendor vehicles and failing to come through after taking their deposits, according to Wendell Emerson, the chief deputy DA in Stanislaus County. The list of his alleged victims includes residents in the Inland Empire area of Southern California. San Bernardino and Victorville residents were also scammed by Jauregui Ochoa. A couple in San Bernardino handed over $15,000 to him and never received the product while a Victorville man claims he paid $25,000 to build a food truck out of a van. The vehicle wasn’t manufactured and Jauregui Ochoa appeared to avoid contacts.
Another victim, Norma Estevez of Salinas, said she borrowed $60,000 against the equity in her home to pay Jauregui Ochoa for a vehicle only to have him avoid her.
Some who were delivered vehicles claim the work was so shoddy that they were unusable. Another person claims that the young entrepreneur took back a vehicle after delivery.
Authorities say that Juaregui portrayed himself on social media as living a rich lifestyle, posing with sleek cars, dressed in designer clothes and going on vacations to exotic places.
As news of the alleged scam spread on local TV news stations and on the internet starting last year, Jauregui Ochoa told the Los Angeles Times that he had to close his Ceres shop because angry clients kept going there to confront him.
Jauregui Ochoa denied scamming anyone and in 2024 told the Times that his failure to keep up with orders stemmed from his inexperience in the business which caused delays. The Times quoted him as saying: “I’m trying to deal with this scandal so I can make my business better again — I had a real company. I’m not a business expert. I just know how to build trucks.”
